User:Darkbluesun/Virtual IT Assistant

A Virtual IT Assistant is an information technology specialist who provides services including but not limited to IT help desk support, virtual desktop support, network, creative (graphic and layout design), social networking and internet media marketing assistance to clients from a home office. These IT assistants are usually the "jack of all trades" for online business information technology needs. When your business doesn't have an entire IT department, they can be a lifeline for computer help desk/trouble shooting needs.


 * Web-based business
 * Work from a virtual office
 * Utilize virtual project management

Standard Expectations
The typical clients for a virtual IT assistants are small businesses, politicians, artists, musicians, celebrities, professors, writers, virtual office assistants and those who need to take advantage of technology and web 2.0 to interface with family, peers, colleagues and clients by upgrading web presence through social networking sites. The profession is growing exponentially in the global economic state due the rising cost of IT projects and the ever-changing evolution of social media and web technologies.

Modes of communication: voice (VoIP or telephone), email, online project management software (e.g. CRM), faxing, texting, social networks (see a list of social network services here) and instant messenger software.

Most of the finished services and products provided by a virtual IT assistant are uploaded (through ftp, file transfers and/or sharing), posted (via blogs, social network profiles, etc) or delivered (by e-mail, online collaboration systems (e.g. SharePoint), and of course, a postal carrier.  Professionals in this business work on a contractual basis that are measured carefully with expected milestone and deadline completion dates communicated up front. Typically 3–5 years of recent experience in one's specialty in the IT field is expected before promising or negotiating services to be rendered.

IT Certifications to look for are Comptia, Cisco, Microsoft and W3Schools depending on the project needs.