What is a Help Desk?

By Tom McDonald | Jun 19, 2013 12:26:00 PM

What is a Help Desk?  President of Connecticut based IT Support Provider NSI, Explains:  I recently stumbled across a Jenna Marbles vblog episode entitled, “What are this” (I would link to it, but she drops the F bomb… we provide a perfect excuse for you to visit YouTube at the end of this post, what you do from there is up to you).  The video made me think about how we communicate with our customers, and the assumptions we may be making after 28 years in the business.  Beginning with:  is it spelled Help Desk, or Helpdesk?  Officially, it’s “help”  “desk”, but there are many uses of “helpdesk” out there, so we use both which allows people to find the information they are looking for.

So, what is a Helpdesk, and why would you want one?

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New VIDEO: Remote Computer Support has a name, or two.

By Tom McDonald | Nov 13, 2012 10:04:00 AM

What are Managed IT Services, Managed Services, Remote Monitor and Remediation, Remote IT Solutions, Help Desk Network Support Services?  So many terms…

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On Site Computer Service and the Prius - We went green, and saved

By Tom McDonald | Oct 23, 2012 12:29:00 PM

NSI IT Support Connecticut:  Perhaps you have seen an NSI wrapped Prius cruising down the highway or hanging out in a business park trying to pick up customers by showing off. 

In a previous post, I mentioned that as business owners we are always weighing our options; so, when the idea of moving to company vehicles was presented to me I had an immediate knee-jerk reaction.  I recalled a previous decade when the use of company cars did nothing but cost us money.  I’m sure my initial response was written all over my face, but thankfully, my mouth said,  “let’s run the numbers, and see what our options are.”  With the help of our executive team (I’m lucky to have such a great staff, I’m surrounded by good ideas every day) we analyzed our auto expenses from the previous years, and compared them to what the Prius would cost.  To add to the excitement, a couple of our vendors were willing to contribute to the cost of the wrap, as it is advertising for them as well.  Factor in the cost of gasoline, and we were looking at a winning solution.  Here is how it played out:

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A Day in the Life - one IT support issue, two scenarios

By Tom McDonald | Aug 7, 2012 5:20:00 PM

Why choosing the right IT service provider matters now, more than ever.  You’re a business owner.  It’s 8:30am and your cell phone rings.  It’s the office; your faithful early bird employee who opens the doors and gets ahead of it before the whirlwind of the day takes flight sounds distraught.  The Server is down.  There is no email.  And, the report you need for your meeting won’t be waiting on your desk. 

You find a way to print some of the information at home, and head in to the office.  When you arrive, everyone is standing around talking about the situation, “how long will we be down?”  Naturally, other social topics evolve from the conversation, and soon everyone is engaged.

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NSI CT News: Microsoft Office 365, Benefits Moving to Cloud Computing

By Tom McDonald | Jun 30, 2011 12:50:00 PM


IT Support Technician from NSI - review of Microsoft Office 365 / MS365: Working with Small and Medium Businesses as a Network Support Specialist, I'm asked about new advances in technology almost every day.  Most recently, I received an inquiry about Microsoft 365 / Office 365. *NOTE:  This post is from 2011, updated information is on its way!  Subscribe to this blog and get the latest on Office 365.  We will have a series of posts regarding Microsoft 365! Our "What needs work" section, below, will be addressed, along with other awesome improvements to this great product.

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