Intro to Desktop Support

The term desktop support can describe many different jobs, but they all do similar work: keeping computers up and running. 

Unfortunately, desktop support professionals sometimes get the short end of the stick when it comes to blame: When networks don't connect, files don't open, and printers refuse to say anything except "PC Load Letter," who else is to blame but tech support? 

But what those blame-givers forget is how many errors and problems they never see, thanks to the desktop support professionals' work. Desktop support professionals are well-rounded generalists with diverse skill sets, and it also serves as a stepping stone to different IT careers, but not necessarily so. 

If you're considering this career field, here's what you need to know. 

What Do Desktop Support Professionals Do? 

Desktop support involves diagnosing, troubleshooting, and resolving hardware and software issues related to desktop computers, laptops, and other devices. Daily tasks might include installing and updating software, configuring hardware peripherals, or maintaining network connectivity. 

Desktop support is a bit of an umbrella term, so it goes by many different names that are mostly interchangeable. Some careers in desktop support can include (but aren't limited to): 

• IT Support Technician

• Help Desk Technician

• Technical Support Specialist

• IT Service Desk Analyst 

The commonality? As first responders, they provide timely, effective solutions and identify issues that require specialized resolution. No matter what it's called, desktop support is crucial for sustaining an organization's digital infrastructure and enabling smooth day-to-day operations.

What Technologies Should a Desktop Support Professional Know?

From software to hardware to people, a desktop support professional needs to know how to spot problems quickly and resolve them efficiently. This is a small list of some of the most crucial: 

• Operating Systems: Windows is the most common OS for businesses and organizations, but macOS and Linux are also important. At the very least, desktop support techs must navigate operating systems and understand how to access administrative controls.

• Hardware: Although removing and reinstalling hardware components doesn't happen daily, issues can arise. Familiarity with desktop computers, laptops, printers, scanners, and other peripherals is essential.

• Software and Applications: A desktop support professional uses and navigates standards like email clients, web browsers, and industry-related apps, but the list will always grow.

• Remote Desktop Tools: Desktop support specialists often "remote in" to a troublesome computer to take control of the device at a distance. Familiarity with multiple apps of that sort is essential.

• Basic Network and Device Security: A desktop support specialist touches more devices on the network than nearly anyone else. Being aware of basic security principles means the network and users are safer overall.

• Cloud Services: Cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud provide apps, features, and services to organizations of all shapes and sizes. Interactions with and between them are often challenging for non-technical users. Desktop support professionals should know and understand the basics of interacting with cloud service providers.

• Soft Skills: Quickly diagnosing and developing creative solutions for technological hang-ups is a great skill for desktop support specialists. Communicating clearly and politely is also important, especially in an environment so often filled with frustration.

What is the Actual Work of Desktop Support?

One desktop support professional's job can look wildly different from another's, depending on factors like the size of the company, the industry, network types, and more. 

Nevertheless, there are commonalities in the desktop support career field that make it possible to describe the day-to-day normal job expectations of working in desktop support:

• User Assistance: How a desktop support professional learns about a user problem varies (phone calls, emails, IMs, tickets, walk-ups), but most of the desktop support job is learning about a user's situation and helping resolve it. That may involve hardware, software, or network issues.

• Troubleshooting: Many end users can barely explain what happened, much less the actual problem. Getting past symptoms to the root cause of a technological problem is another fundamental part of the job.

• Software Installation and Updates: Properly installing software and keeping it up to date reduces user errors, so whether you're visiting devices in person or doing it all remotely, a lot of desktop support involves installing and updating software.

• Password Resets and Account Management: Passwords get forgotten or reset, accounts get locked or migrated improperly, and entire network folders go missing. A desktop support specialist spends a lot of time in the password and account management software for their network's choice, performing basic tasks to ensure everyone's accounts are properly configured.

• Documentation: Recording issues and how they were resolved can help identify systemic failures in training, network stability, and even security. Desktop support professionals don't just write down everything they encounter and how they resolve it; they often do so in a shorthand or style mandated by the organization.

How to Learn Desktop Support Basics

Becoming a desktop support professional is appealing for many reasons. For starters, you're almost always working at a desk, indoors, seated. Job stability is quite good – computers and networks are becoming increasingly valuable, yet they still malfunction. Getting into the desktop support career field is much easier than you might think.

Choosing the Right Desktop Support Course

You'll want to take online training to become a desktop support professional. Don't worry: you'll find tons of introductory IT courses online. As you begin your journey, wait before you pay. There are many dubious content courses, and you might be surprised by how much you already know. Instead, get as much free information about IT and future job roles as possible.

Get Practical Experience 

Once you've gotten the gist of desktop support, choose an online training provider. Remember that a huge part of any IT job is actually doing the job, not just talking about it. So look for courses with virtual labs or simulations where you can practice the technical skills you're learning, not just hear about them or read what skills you'll need someday. 

Choose a Certification 

Also, you will eventually need IT certifications: take online courses with practice exams for the certifications you want to earn. Practice exams help you identify areas of your study you must focus on while speeding through areas you're ready for.

Desktop Support Certifications That Cover All the Basics

There are tons of certifications meant for early-career IT professionals. Some are better than others for desktop support professionals, but here are three of the most highly valued IT certifications that can lead to a career in desktop support:

• A+ from CompTIA: A+ certifications and all of CompTIA certifications are well-regarded by employers and IT professionals because they're vendor-agnostic, meaning they focus on generic skills, not specific hardware and software combinations. By focusing on basic, entry-level, and general skills, CompTIA's A+ certification indicates that a desktop support professional is ready to work the very same day they're hired.

• Azure Administrator Associate from Microsoft: The Azure Administrator Associate is one of Microsoft's many certifications designed to ensure networks always operate at peak performance. The Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate is a good basic certification for a desktop support specialist who knows they'll work with tools and apps in the Microsoft cloud.

• CCT Data Center from Cisco: Cisco manufactures the hardware and software that most data centers use worldwide. Their CCT certification line is for newcomers to the IT field. Cisco's CCT Data Center is a slightly more advanced and specialized certification for a desktop support specialist who already knows they want to work in a data center environment.

Next Steps: How to Move Beyond a Desktop Support Professional 

Desktop support is a career field unto itself. Nonetheless, many IT professionals get their start in desktop support, fully intending to move into other IT fields. Exploring the differences and similarities between those IT disciplines and desktop support can help clarify both.

Desktop Support vs. Systems Administrator

While both desktop support and systems administration are concerned about the operation of IT in an organization, systems administrators tend to be more focused on the overall IT infrastructure. In contrast, desktop support is more focused on individual end-user experiences. 

To that end, desktop support professionals interact more frequently with end users than sys admins do. Systems administration also tends to be more technically complex, with a long-term aim, and requires a higher level of skill and training.

The average salary for desktop support technicians is $47,000/year. Compare that to the same study done for systems administrators, where the national average salary was $61,000. The difference in salaries reflects the increased responsibilities, training, and expectations for systems administrators.

Desktop Support vs. Network Administrator

Like with systems administration, network administration is more focused on overall network health than desktop support tends to be. In addition to differences in interaction type and scope, network administrators often deal with more technical aspects of network configuration and administration.

Technical knowledge of networking protocols, configurations, devices, and interactions is more necessary for network administrators than for desktop support professionals.

Desktop support professionals who have been working for a long time tend to move into desktop support engineer roles, where they manage other desktop support professionals and implement large-scale solutions to end-user problems.

A desktop support engineer's national average salary is $56,000/year. On average, a network administrator's salary is almost $82,000/year.

Desktop Support vs. Information Security Analyst

Information security analysts are entry-level IT professionals who safeguard an organization's data from threats. By monitoring network and system security, they look for threats and problems before they materialize—quite different from their desktop support professional kin, who might implement security measures but usually only after an issue has been identified. 

Information security analysts tend to interact with end users far less than desktop support, and they are much more familiar with technical cybersecurity hardware and software.

A role open to senior desktop support professionals is that of help desk manager, who manages entire teams, assigns priorities, and enforces company policy at a managerial level. 

According to CBT Nuggets research, the national average salary for a help desk manager is $84,000/year. Meanwhile, averaging variations in geography and experience, the average salary for an information security analyst is $96,000/year.

Take the Next Step in Your Career 

Desktop support is a valuable career. Basically, every company and organization needs some level of desktop support. It's an excellent starting point for people entering IT from other career fields or looking to begin their working life in IT.

Desktop support as a career is often what you make out of it: it can be challenging and exciting, plus it can lead to specialization in other fields of IT. If you want to learn about those other fields of IT, check out all of our Intro to IT training and find out what best suits your skills and interests.

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