Data centre and IT vendors use “remote hands” and “smart hands” loosely, and the difference matters: book the wrong one and you either overpay for a simple reboot or send someone who can’t do the job.
Remote hands
Simple, instruction-led tasks done by facility or vendor staff: power cycling, reseating a cable, reading a status light, swapping a labelled cable, receiving a delivery. No diagnosis; the person follows your exact steps.
Smart hands
A skilled technician who can diagnose and act under your guidance: replacing disks, PSUs or line cards, racking and cabling new kit, console access, basic configuration and photographed audits. Smart hands still work to your instructions, but can handle the unexpected. See our smart hands and data centre support.
Field engineer
A qualified engineer dispatched to any site, not only a data centre: offices, stores, factories and unmanned sites. Field engineers handle break/fix, installs, IMAC and rollouts, often across many locations, and own the visit end to end with a report afterwards. See field engineer dispatch.
Which one to book
| Task | Book |
|---|---|
| Reboot a server, check a light, reseat a cable | Remote hands |
| Replace a failed disk or PSU, rack new equipment | Smart hands |
| Fix a fault at an office or store, install kit at a new site | Field engineer |
| Hardware refresh across 30 sites | Field engineers on a rollout plan |
How a smart hands visit works
- You send the ticket: facility, rack location, task, parts and change window.
- The vendor arranges access and induction with the data centre.
- The engineer works to your method of procedure or your engineer’s live instructions.
- You receive photos before and after, serials, port maps and notes on anything outstanding.
Questions to ask a vendor
- Is the person facility staff or a dedicated engineer, and what skills do they have?
- What response tiers do you offer (4-hour, same business day, next business day)?
- Can they follow live instructions from our NOC by phone or Teams?
- What does the report include, and how fast do we get it?
- How are access, induction and out-of-hours work handled?
Frequently asked questions
Is smart hands the same as remote hands?
No. Remote hands follow simple instructions such as a reboot or a cable reseat; smart hands are skilled technicians who can diagnose and replace components under your guidance.
Can smart hands work outside a data centre?
Work at offices, stores or other sites is usually booked as a field engineer visit, which covers any site and the whole job end to end.
How is smart hands priced?
Usually per task or per hour, often with a minimum first period, and with different rates for 4-hour, same business day and next business day response.
Need smart hands or an engineer on site?
We dispatch in 50+ countries on 4-hour, same business day or next business day response.
Book smart hands