Where is Field Services 2.0 headed?

By Elías Cedillo Hernández
Grupo Be IT and BuróMC CEO.

The next generation of Field Services promises a more convenient future for clients and collaborators alike, thanks to the flexibility offered by the 2.0 version of this service today. Companies will be able to rely on permanent, floating, or part-time engineers through economies of scale and appropriate logistics.

I’ll present it this way because transparency is fundamental. Plus, I’ll use numerous examples to ensure the point is crystal clear throughout this article. For instance, there are businesses like Oxxo, which has around 12,000 to 14,000 stores in Mexico. I don’t think all these stores need constant support, which would be very expensive for them. That’s why they choose to contract companies that provide technical support for situations like “the computer broke down,” “a cable malfunctioned,” or “the camera isn’t working.” These companies, in turn, don’t rely solely on Oxxo; they also work with clients like Grupo Bimbo or Femsa, forming part of a shared ecosystem.  

The issue of remote support is changing the game by generating direct savings for clients. This is where, as consultants, we must ask ourselves a crucial question: To what extent can we leverage technology to provide remote support? Nowadays, it’s possible that we don’t even need to physically go to a site or location, like in the example of Oxxo. A significant portion of that support can be delivered remotely. In fact, this is one of the key aspects we already have in place at Grupo BeIT and its business units.

Let me emphasize: this is real. But how real? Absolutely real! Awareness—or knowledge—exists within people. What does this mean? It means being able to deliver to the client best practices, compliance, policies, and more, based on a baseline of compliance, and observing where it’s headed—whether it’s toward usage policies, technology, or the people themselves. Let’s look at it this way: a policy toward people is that you can’t disrespect anyone, or you can't show up at work high, you can’t steal, you can’t change credentials, you can’t sign in for someone else. That’s clear! But what about toward technology? What would that be? Well, it’s that you shouldn’t connect a computer that doesn’t have patches, that doesn’t have the proper software, that’s been cracked, or that lacks antivirus and all the necessary controls to prevent contamination of your company’s or business’s assets.

Now, let’s focus on the technology side. There are many topics within this, but let’s narrow it down to technical support, as it’s always necessary to implement management: asset management. And I emphasize that all of this must be carried out from an administrative, security, visibility, and support perspective.

At this point, tools are essential. In the company I lead, we decided to implement a tool called VICARIUS. While there are other brands available, this is one of the tools we currently use. Imagine providing support to a company that has 12,000 computers, but you have no idea where they are physically located. Some of these computers may be old, stored away in boxes or archived, and some might not even be connected. Therefore, in this context, it’s necessary to have Active Directory management, which allows you to control both users and IT devices, following a standardization concept.

Let’s return to the examples: a company has 12,000 computers, but recently another 500 were found, whose location was previously unknown. No one was aware of their existence. The lack of proper asset management clearly hurts performance and leads to losses. Our proposal consists of establishing asset management through a series of clearly defined steps. To progress from one point to another, as mentioned earlier, a process of standardization or homologation is necessary.

What can we say about this service? It’s a service that enhances the seriousness and rigor required for the technical support that’s needed in Oxxo stores, Burger Kings, banks and all of their branches, as well as the distribution centers of companies like Femsa and Bimbo, among others. And why is it necessary? Because all these large businesses have access points, cabling, and other issues that require this type of service. Even consider this scenario: wouldn’t it be extremely expensive for a company to have a support engineer in every branch, who might spend a lot of time with nothing to do? That’s why it’s always best to rely on the types of services I mentioned earlier.

Now, what is the trend or the offer we are providing at Grupo BeIT and its business units? We are offering a solution that fortifies the most vulnerable foundation of IT support—that which has access, or could have access, to the CFO’s financial statements, for example, or to sensitive and strategic information of an artist, or which could access personal data to kidnap a high-level executive. Everything I have exemplified above, in addition to this, is encapsulated in what we call Field Services 2.0.

Technological Integration and Service Effectiveness

Currently, how do companies measure technical support? I define the current state of the art in response to this question as an approach that focuses on minimizing consumption. However, it is crucial for everything to remain balanced. This requires a significant effort, since at the end of the day, companies must ensure that technical support is addressed, with proper classification and delivery of quality services.

Why? Because we could address many more issues without relying on phrases like, “just wait for engineer X to arrive and fix the problem.” Nowadays, it’s possible to carry out this process remotely. That’s why classification is fundamental, as it establishes how we’re going to attend to the client. This aspect is crucial because it will also involve the use of Artificial Intelligence to automatically address these needs. Moreover, once classified, everything must go through a training process to ensure that people are aware of the organization’s policies on this matter, so they can deliver the best service.

We must take into account the best practices along with effectiveness. These practices are reflected in a baseline that involves meeting the specific characteristics of a project. For example, a baseline may specify that computers must have a specific operating system, a certain update, a particular version, and a certain security software, all in line with regulatory and legal compliance within the technological framework. In terms of people, the baseline might include that engineer “X” must wear the corporate shirt, always have his badge visible, and be properly registered, with his social security number and daily check-in log active every morning.

To maintain control, companies must remember the importance of not neglecting certain aspects. An illustrative example is when “Y” connects to a computer that lacks protection and is infected with ransomware. This situation results in the malware spreading, affecting nearly 70 distribution centers in just four hours, leaving them inoperable for two weeks. It’s clear that this is a key issue, but sometimes it’s overlooked. Therefore, in the context of Field Services 2.0, it is essential to remember the importance of not neglecting the collaborating personnel who are involved in technological initiatives.

In this regard, it is crucial to have a clear understanding of the specific personnel responsible for addressing each aspect. It is evident that one needs to fully understand the environment and who will be occupying it. I need to know how many computers and mobile phones are in use, as well as if there is any ‘hacker’ phone within the organization that could be compromising information security or introducing unauthorized content into the devices. Additionally, I need to ensure that excessive bandwidth is not being consumed due to the streaming of unauthorized videos or other activities that could affect operations and, above all, the company’s information.

This is key to remember and to have a comprehensive vision of the landscape from both a hardware and software perspective. Once you have that in place and achieve a standardization where everything is relatively uniform, then you can automate. For example, allowing personnel to update their computer only when required, or blocking access to applications that undermine their productivity and efficiency, or to prevent a virus because an employee insists on installing software to watch movies or to crack Netflix, or to ensure that a member of a certain company is authorized to access the inventory system from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but not at 2 a.m. Basically, it’s about following a computing profile that takes into account the needs, characteristics, requirements of the users, deciding who gets access to what and who does not, while determining if it is secure or not.  

What is our competitive advantage in this? 

Many support companies don’t understand cybersecurity; they have no idea what ‘Zero Trust Network Access’ is, nor they know about asset management—many only handle tickets. We don’t stop there. We know and understand these issues and manage them, always thinking about training as well. That’s why, as I mentioned at the beginning of this article, awareness is important. Ideally, we raise awareness both among the technical support staff, so they stay aligned, and among users—like a cashier at Oxxo or Burger King, or bank branch cashiers and account executives—so they know the procedure and can, for example, access a platform where they track their tickets and receive remote support in case of an incident.

Field Services 2.0 also represents the integration of people, culture, management, and automated security. Engineers are not needed to understand the needs of these companies and many others. Our promise is that year after year, our prospects and clients will experience greater agility in support. For example, the problem of a person with a faulty computer that used to leave it inactive for two weeks will now receive a remote response within two or three days to get back up and running. This is just a first scenario. 

The second scenario, in terms of agility, is that by having an inventory and everything automated, issues will decrease, measured by two parameters. The first parameter relates to productivity. Employees will be more productive by having fewer problems while receiving a much more appropriate response, because they won’t have to wait on-site for “support”. 

The other parameter concerns cost savings, because obviously fewer engineers will be needed while support becomes centralized. That is the promise: to pay less because fewer professionals are involved in the technology process. For each client requiring field support that doesn’t cost much, with interesting projects that provide work for many people and that allow, through people and technology, to speed up or improve the efficiency of technology use in companies.

In summary, the evolution toward Field Services 2.0 represents a fundamental change in the way technical support and related services are provided in the business world, reflecting a commitment to continuous improvement and delivering quality service with fair cost/benefit, driving the success of your organization in the digital era.