How to scale your IT efforts without scaling your team

Digital transformation has connected everything from retail stores to executive boardrooms to warehouses with smart devices. This creates new opportunities—but also leaves IT teams struggling with complexity, security risks, and a lack of skilled staff.

Because many of these devices are located far from your IT team, creating new support challenges. And old-school support methods can't keep up.

In this situation, retail organizations need remote solutions that do more than simply fix problems. They need a solution to cut costs, strengthen security, and help teams work smarter with fewer resources.

In this article

• The rapidly expanding IT landscape
• How remote support can transform your IT operations
• Remote IT connectivity in action
• How TeamViewer can help
• Summary

The expanding IT landscape: More devices, more problems  

As your company grows, so does your IT complexity. New devices bring new capabilities—but without the right support, they can also slow you down.

The device explosion

The numbers speak for themselves. According to our research, digital signage alone grew by 89% in just five years. Today’s enterprise networks include kiosks, IoT sensors, digital displays, and smart building systems—all of which need updates, security patches, and troubleshooting.

Yet 28% of companies struggle to support remote locations. Retailers, for example, rely on digital payment terminals, self-checkout stations, and in-store tablets. So, any downtime directly impacts sales and customer support.

And when devices are spread across multiple sites, traditional hands-on support becomes impractical. Every delay in maintenance or repair increases risk—leading to security vulnerabilities, unexpected downtime, and costly emergency fixes.

When systems fail, business suffers

One broken device can do more than disrupt operations—it can hurt revenue and reputation.

Imagine this: Your brand’s self-service kiosk goes down during peak hours. Frustrated by long lines, customers abandon their purchases. At the same time, your team scrambles to find a manual workaround, slowing down service for everyone. Meanwhile, IT is stuck coordinating an expensive on-site visit just to diagnose the issue.

The real costs add up fast:

• Emergency tech visits that drain IT budgets
  
• Security risks from delayed updates
  
• Productivity losses as employees work around broken systems
  
• Compliance challenges when outdated devices fall out of regulation

Without a way to manage and support devices remotely, every failure becomes a high-stakes problem.

IT teams are stretched thin

More technology also requires more support, but hiring isn’t a quick fix. 88% of enterprises struggle to find qualified IT professionals. That leaves existing teams overloaded, putting out fires instead of focusing on strategic projects.

With limited staff and growing demands, IT teams need better ways to manage and support devices—without adding to the workload.

How remote support can transform your IT operations

Remote IT support is now essential for businesses aiming to cut costs, enhance security, and assist employees—wherever they are.

It’s more than just a convenience. It allows IT teams to work smarter, minimize downtime, and extend the lifespan of critical devices.

And all of this happens without the need to hire additional staff.

Reduce costs by solving issues faster

Sending IT technicians on-site is time-consuming and expensive. Travel costs, lost productivity, and delayed issue resolution all add up.

Remote connectivity eliminates these inefficiencies by allowing IT teams to diagnose and fix problems instantly, no matter where the device is located. For retailers, this means faster resolution for POS system failure, self-checkout issues, or digital signage issues.

Additionally, remote IT support can lower costs by as much as 45% compared to in-person IT support. It also reduces the need for in-person support trips by 15%.

But the benefits go beyond saving on travel. Remote access helps IT teams maintain systems proactively, preventing small problems from escalating into costly failures.

It also extends the lifespan of hardware by ensuring devices are regularly updated and maintained, reducing the need for premature replacements.

Built-in security for peace of mind  

Some businesses hesitate to use remote support due to security concerns. However, modern solutions are designed with security as a top priority, offering:

• End-to-end encryption to ensure all remote sessions remain private
  
• Granular access controls that let IT teams limit access based on roles and permissions
  
• Detailed audit logs for full transparency and compliance reporting

These features make remote support safer than traditional on-site troubleshooting, where unsecured passwords, shared admin accounts, or manual software updates can create security gaps.

Reliable IT support from anywhere

With employees working in different locations, IT support needs to be just as flexible. Without remote access, troubleshooting often requires long phone calls or waiting for an on-site visit—delaying work and frustrating employees.

Remote support removes these barriers by giving IT teams instant access to employee devices. Whether someone is at home, in a different office, or traveling, they get the same level of fast, effective support. IT teams also gain more flexibility, with the ability to handle after-hours requests or urgent issues without delay.

Increased IT efficiency with proactive support

IT teams are under constant pressure to do more with limited resources. Remote support helps them work smarter by:

• Reducing downtime: Issues are resolved faster, minimizing disruptions to business operations. By minimizing downtime, businesses can avoid significant losses because every minute of downtime can cost up to USD 9,000.
  
• Automating diagnostics: Advanced tools detect and diagnose potential problems before they escalate.
  
• Enabling proactive support: IT teams can apply updates, security patches, and fixes before users even experience an issue. In fact, remote support solutions can achieve a nearly 400% ROI over three years.

By eliminating unnecessary on-site visits, streamlining workflows, and providing real-time monitoring, remote control and support allows IT teams to manage growing workloads efficiently—without needing to expand their team.

An example of remote connectivity in action 

For retailers, keeping payment systems running smoothly is essential to deliver a great customer experience. Unospay, a leading digital payment provider, supports thousands of merchants with secure and reliable transactions. But when technical issues arose, getting terminals back online was a priority, as this directly impacted revenue.

Using TeamViewer Tensor, Unospay streamlined its support process. Instead of waiting for on-site visits, IT teams could now access payment terminals remotely.

And now, out of about 3,000 service calls on average per month, only 4% require the visit of a technician on-site. Saving the company 51,800 hours' worth of business trips annually.

Remote connectivity and support not only save Unospay money but also reduce downtime and deliver a smoother customer experience for all shoppers.  

How Tensor simplifies remote connectivity for retailers and enterprises

Instead of juggling multiple tools and battling complexity, imagine a single solution that remotely connects your entire environment. Tensor's approach focuses on making enterprise IT simpler, more secure, and more efficient.

Enterprise-grade security that doesn't slow you down

Security should protect your business, not slow it down. With Tensor, every remote session is encrypted end-to-end, ensuring data stays secure without adding extra steps for authorized users. At the same time, granular access controls ensure that only authorized personnel can access specific devices, reducing the risk of unauthorized connections.

Compliance is just as critical. TeamViewer helps businesses meet GDPR, ISO, and industry-specific regulations by maintaining strict security standards and providing full audit trails.

Whether it’s protecting customer data or ensuring regulatory compliance, TeamViewer keeps security at the core of every connection.

A unified solution for simplified IT management