For enterprises without an existing help desk function, creating the business case for one is often the most challenging step. Identify the silent and significant costs of operating without Tier 1 support before hiring any analysts or implementing any technology.

Why Bother?

Today's IT departments are under more pressure than ever. Increasingly complex technology environments are rapidly outstripping employees' ability to self-support. Lack of internal communication around software rollouts, and moves, adds, and changes often results in widespread service outages. Incident resolution is delayed because no one central resource owns the issue or is resourced to effectively manage it through to closure.

While many small-to-mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) have traditionally foregone the help desk function because of concerns over operational cost, the impact of reactively dealing with one outage after another can quickly cripple IT's ability to support the business. The help desk represents IT's best shot at controlling the incident...