Many small businesses don’t have much depth when it comes to IT support, and Symantec’s Norton division is here to help with its first 24/7 online help desk.
What can you call them about? A lot of different problems: virus infections, of course, but also solving network connection issues, general PC tuneups, hooking up a printer or a scanner, and general consultative help. Yes, there are lots of local VARs that offer this service, but the Norton name carries a certain cachet. (For those of you too young to remember, Peter Norton pictured above, was an early utility software pioneer, and is now a patron of the arts.)
The Ultimate Help Desk service, as it is called, is part of a series of other Norton Live services, including a $5 one-time Rescue Me diagnosis that they have offered for some time. Individual pieces of the help desk are also priced separately: for example you can pay $100 for a one-time virus removal procedure. Everything is done across the Internet remotely (once you download their agent) while you are on the phone with their technicians.
The help doesn’t come cheap, though. Small business plans start at $1200 per year for a minimum of five desktops. You can almost buy five desktops for that price, although subsequent years cost less because the first year includes startup fees. Personal and family plans start at $200 per desktop per year, which might be a better way to go depending on the size of your business. You can pay for monthly subscriptions too.
