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SupportSoft, Inc.: Remotely Supporting IT Needs of the Next-Generation Mobile Workforce Is Critical for Business Success

^{Published on 2009-03-17 10:08:11, Last Modified on 2009-11-03 19:07:09 - Market Wire}
 

REDWOOD CITY, CA--(Marketwire - March 17, 2009) - Enabling the next-generation, mobile workforce has, for many enterprises, become a mandate for remaining competitive, finds a new national survey sponsored by SupportSoft, Inc. (NASDAQ: [ SPRT ]), a provider of software and services that make technology work. The just-released study further reveals that more than three quarters (82%) of IT management executives surveyed are relying on a remote support framework to help make this a viable reality.

The independent research was conducted by SupportIndustry.com, an online resource dedicated to enabling organizations to deliver world class customer service and support. The survey targeted support managers whose company's workforce spans less than 500 to more than 10,000, and represents a range of vertical industries including technology, healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing.

For many companies, requiring every employee to commute to a centralized location to perform their duties is becoming a practice of the past -- for both economic and environmental reasons. 78% of support executives surveyed said their organizations have seen increasing demands to enable workers at locations outside the traditional office environment. Two thirds (64%) of respondents reported that they're now supporting remote and mobile workers across a range of environments -- satellite offices, home offices, and customer sites.

Organizations are increasingly leaning towards remote working policies in an effort to curb travel, facilities and IT costs; promote the benefits of "green" and more energy-efficient operations; attract and retain the best employees; position themselves in key global markets; and more. But doing so comes with the challenge of supporting a broad spectrum of work settings and end-user technologies. 82% of managers stated that the IT issues their support teams must handle differ between onsite and off-site populations.

"In a tightening economy, more and more enterprises are realizing they will lose out if they do not effectively support their remote and mobile workforce," explained Carolyn Healey, Publisher of SupportIndustry.com. "Hence they are turning to innovative support and service technologies that enable robust remote working, with the end results being lower company costs, happier and more productive employees, and a more environmentally friendly business structure."

Survey findings indicate that with the right tools there is a strategic opportunity for enterprises to gain competitive advantage and positively impact the environment by ensuring the performance and support needs of their remote employees are properly met. A large majority of managers said they're already investing in support technologies that allow successful remote working and facilitate a better and more efficiently run business. In fact, more than 33% say they intend to make additional investments in these solutions within the next two years.

Technologies include on-demand remote control and diagnostics, and have become the most valuable tools in a company's service desk arsenal. This Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) framework can help the IT organization avoid the expense of installing and maintaining on-site software, and conserve energy by more efficiently using computing resources.

"Clearly, remote working presents the enterprise with considerable benefits, but it also brings a level of IT complexity that requires innovative tools to ensure optimum performance and support," said Michael Sayer, GM & EVP Enterprise Solutions Group at SupportSoft. "In the current economic climate, we're seeing a major shift in the way organizations are managing their IT operations, which is driving the adoption of advanced hosted solutions that focus on enhancing support, improving productivity and enabling efficiencies."

The full study from SupportIndustry.com outlines the key challenges and opportunities for effectively delivering remote support to the distributed workplace. For a copy of this new survey analysis, please visit[ http://www.supportsoft.marketbright.com/pages/start/supportindustrycom-survey-results/index.html?Campaign_Id=45&Activity_Id=104 ].

About SupportSoft

SupportSoft (NASDAQ: [ SPRT ]) provides software and services that make technology work. The Company's solutions reduce technology support costs, improve customer satisfaction and enable new revenue streams for companies reaching 50 million users worldwide. The Company also provides Instant Technology Relief® to consumers and small businesses through a series of channel partners and [ www.support.com ]. For more information about the Company and its enterprise offerings, visit [ http://www.supportsoft.com ]; for Instant Technology Relief from consumer and small business technology problems, visit [ www.support.com ].