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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for IT Tech Support

💰 $ - $

🎯 Role Definition

The IT Tech Support (Help Desk / Desktop Support) professional delivers frontline technical assistance to employees and stakeholders by diagnosing, troubleshooting, and resolving hardware, software, network, and endpoint security issues. This role ensures high availability of user endpoints, adherence to service level agreements (SLAs), accurate IT asset tracking, and a high-quality end-user experience through clear communication, documentation, and escalation to engineering teams when necessary. Ideal candidates combine hands-on technical ability with strong customer service, process orientation (ITIL basics), and curiosity for continuous improvement.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Help Desk Intern / Desktop Support Intern
  • Customer Support / Technical Customer Service Representative
  • IT Operations Assistant or Field Technician

Advancement To:

  • Senior Desktop Support Technician / Lead IT Support Specialist
  • Systems Administrator / Network Administrator
  • IT Service Manager / IT Operations Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Endpoint/Device Management Specialist (MDM/Intune)
  • Cybersecurity Analyst (junior)
  • Application Support Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Provide first- and second-line support for Windows, macOS, and common Linux desktop environments by diagnosing and resolving hardware, OS, driver, and application issues to meet SLA targets.
  • Troubleshoot and remediate Microsoft 365 (Office 365), Exchange, Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive user issues including mailbox access, calendar synchronization, and permission errors.
  • Manage user lifecycle operations: create, modify, and disable accounts in Active Directory and Azure AD; configure group membership, password resets, and MFA enrollment.
  • Provision, image, and configure laptops, desktops, tablets, and mobile devices using SCCM, Intune, JAMF or equivalent MDM tools; apply standard images and company policies.
  • Provide secure remote support via VPN, RDP, TeamViewer, AnyDesk, or remote assistance tools to troubleshoot issues for distributed and remote employees.
  • Diagnose and resolve network connectivity problems including wired LAN, Wi‑Fi, VPN, DNS, DHCP, and firewall access issues; escalate when required to network engineering.
  • Perform hardware diagnostics, component replacement and repairs for desktops, laptops, docking stations, monitors, and peripheral devices to restore user productivity quickly.
  • Install, configure, and troubleshoot printers, scanners, MFPs and shared print services, including driver deployment, IP assignment and queue management.
  • Log, categorize, prioritize, and resolve incidents in ITSM/ticketing platforms (ServiceNow, Jira Service Desk, Zendesk) and maintain timely updates until closure.
  • Escalate complex technical issues to infrastructure, networking, or security teams with thorough incident notes, reproduction steps, and preliminary diagnostics.
  • Maintain IT asset inventory, perform asset tagging, lifecycle tracking, and audit preparation for hardware and software compliance.
  • Apply security best practices: install and manage endpoint protection (antivirus/EDR), enforce patch management schedules, and assist with vulnerability remediation.
  • Execute OS and application updates, security patches, and firmware upgrades on endpoints according to company patch policies to reduce risk and maintain compliance.
  • Support virtualization and VDI clients (VMware Horizon, Citrix, Hyper-V) troubleshooting performance, connectivity, and profile issues.
  • Assist with backup and recovery operations for user data, coordinate restores, and verify integrity of backups to minimize data loss and downtime.
  • Conduct onboarding and offboarding processes including device provisioning, account setup, access provisioning, data migration, and secure wipe of deprovisioned devices.
  • Create and maintain knowledge base articles, runbooks, and standard operating procedures to reduce ticket volume and enable self-service for common issues.
  • Participate in change management activities: schedule, document and communicate endpoint changes, upgrades, and rollouts to affected users and stakeholders.
  • Monitor alerts from monitoring tools (endpoint management, network monitoring, IDS) and respond to incidents, escalate critical issues, and contribute to post-incident reviews.
  • Coordinate with vendors and external service providers for warranty repairs, RMA processing, software licensing and escalated technical support.
  • Support compliance and privacy initiatives by enforcing data protection policies, assisting with audits, and ensuring role-appropriate access controls.
  • Perform periodic health checks, preventative maintenance, and inventory reconciliations to proactively identify and remediate risks.
  • Participate in IT projects and deployments (office moves, new-hire rollouts, hardware refreshes) providing technical expertise, implementation support, and user acceptance testing.
  • Provide training, in-person or virtual, to end users on new systems, security best practices (phishing awareness), and self-service tools to increase overall IT literacy.
  • Maintain professional and empathetic communication with non-technical users; document troubleshooting steps and outcomes to provide clear closure and follow-up.

Secondary Functions

  • Assist with basic network administration tasks such as switch port documentation, VLAN tagging validation, and guest Wi-Fi configuration under supervision.
  • Support inventory procurement and asset disposal processes, including coordination of purchase requests and secure asset retirement.
  • Aid in small-scale automation efforts (PowerShell scripts, batch installs) to reduce repetitive manual tasks and improve support efficiency.
  • Participate in cross-functional initiatives (office expansions, equipment refreshes) to align technical rollouts with business needs.
  • Collect user feedback and participate in continuous improvement cycles to improve help desk workflows, SLAs, and customer satisfaction metrics.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Windows 10/11 administration: imaging, Group Policy troubleshooting, driver management, and OS repair.
  • macOS support: device enrollment (DEP), basic configuration, application troubleshooting, and JAMF familiarity.
  • Active Directory & Azure AD account management, group policy application, and SSO/MFA troubleshooting.
  • Microsoft 365 administration and troubleshooting (Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive).
  • Endpoint management tools: Microsoft Intune, SCCM (ConfigMgr), JAMF, or equivalent MDM/EMM platforms.
  • Ticketing and ITSM tools: ServiceNow, Jira Service Desk, Zendesk, or Freshservice for incident and change management.
  • Networking fundamentals: TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VPN, Wi‑Fi troubleshooting (802.11), and basic firewall concepts.
  • Remote support tools: TeamViewer, AnyDesk, LogMeIn, Remote Desktop/Quick Assist.
  • Endpoint security and compliance: antivirus/EDR, disk encryption (BitLocker, FileVault), patch management processes.
  • Hardware troubleshooting and repair for desktops, laptops, peripherals, and mobile devices.
  • Printer and print server administration including driver management and network printing protocols.
  • Virtualization and VDI basics: VMware, Hyper-V, Citrix fundamentals.
  • Scripting and automation basics: PowerShell for administrative automation and bulk user management tasks.
  • Backup and recovery procedures, familiarity with common backup solutions (Veeam, Azure Backup, etc.).
  • ITIL awareness or foundation-level understanding for incident, problem, and change management practices.

Soft Skills

  • Strong verbal and written communication skills tailored to technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Customer-focused attitude with high empathy and patience when resolving end-user issues.
  • Effective problem-solving and analytical thinking, able to triage and prioritize under pressure.
  • Time management and organizational skills to manage multiple concurrent tickets and projects.
  • Team collaboration and cross-functional communication to coordinate escalations and projects.
  • Attention to detail for documentation, asset tracking, and configuration accuracy.
  • Adaptability to changing technologies, remote-first work models, and evolving security requirements.
  • Continuous learning mindset to keep pace with new platforms, tools, and best practices.
  • Professionalism, confidentiality, and integrity when handling sensitive data and access controls.
  • Proactive ownership: seeks permanent fixes, documents solutions, and reduces repeat incidents.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent; relevant technical certifications or hands-on experience accepted in lieu of formal degree.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate's degree or Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Network Administration, or related field.
  • Industry certifications (preferred): CompTIA A+, Network+, Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals/Modern Desktop Administrator Associate, Azure Fundamentals, ITIL Foundation, or Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Information Technology
  • Computer Science
  • Network Administration
  • Cybersecurity
  • Computer Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • Entry-level: 0–2 years of help desk or technical support experience.
  • Mid-level: 2–5 years of hands-on desktop, endpoint, or systems support.

Preferred:

  • 2+ years supporting enterprise Windows/macOS environments, Active Directory/Azure AD, Microsoft 365, and a ticketing system.
  • Demonstrated experience with remote support, MDM provisioning (Intune/JAMF), and hardware troubleshooting in a corporate IT environment.
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