The Top Reasons Users Call The IT Help Desk

Forget any of your passwords lately? If so, you've got plenty of company.

Together, password trouble -- and four other problem areas -- contribute to 75% of the calls corporate help desks get, according to a new study released by SupportSoft, a provider of technology-glitch automation software. For its "IT Headache Index," SupportSoft evaluated about 2 million call logs for 20 large global companies. SupportSoft has been analyzing corporate call logs quarterly for the last two years, but this is the first time it has made its findings public, says James Morehead, company's VP of product marketing.

Password problems, including the need to reset them, make up a fifth of the calls corporate IT help desks get.

"The number of different passwords needed to get work done is staggering," says Morehead.

The other top reasons for calling the help desk include systems issues, such as hardware failures, which make up 16% of calls; enterprise software problems, such as trouble accessing ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) applications, which also contribute to 16% of the trouble; connectivity issues, like trouble accessing a VPN or virtual private network causes 12% of problems; and e-mail complaints -- like being unable to open a message, are responsible for 11% of the calls.

The other remaining reasons users cry uncle include an assortment of trouble, including slow-running PCs and printer problems. Looking ahead, Morehead predicts deployments of Microsoft's Vista will become a new reason for users to seek out help.