This is a common problem and, interestingly, by the time anyone else in the company notices that the poor, isolated IT guy needs help, it's usually long overdue. The IT guy may know that he's not keeping up with demands and requirements, or he may be blind to his own shortcomings. Either way, he is probably very stressed and making costly mistakes.
There is a huge array of responsibility in IT systems for any business with multiple computers. There is the obvious stuff like, 'fix them when they break', but there is less obvious stuff that needs to be addressed as a company grows, including:
- Capacity planning
- Security
- Disaster recovery planning
- Application selection
- Web strategy
- Project management
- Relocations
As any company grows, the technology required to keep it running changes both in scale and complexity. Different knowledge is needed to support a company with five computers as opposed to a company with 12 computers. And this keeps changing as systems grow and requirements increase.
Once your business and systems grow to need one server, it is only a matter of time and further growth until you need more servers and the complexity of your systems grows even more. At this point, you'll need regular help and support to keep the systems running. If you go down the path of hiring someone to support this environment, it may work cost-effectively for you. However, any individual has limitations and blind spots when it comes to technology and supporting all aspects of it for a business.
It is very important that non-technical people running a business seek advice from technical experts in their field. The real problem is this – how do you know that the people you are talking to as technical experts are really experts in your scale of business? IT is definitely not a one solution fits all type affair.
In fact, for one business in one industry, the required technology can change as the business grows. Now, with options in the cloud and on the ground, it is important to know:
1. How solutions fit now and give a good return on investment (ROI); and
2. How they will work for you in a couple of years time when your company has grown.
With 10 staff, you may get a great ROI on hosted email, but at 20 it may make sense to run your own mail server until you get to 60 staff, at which point it may be better to go to a larger-scale hosted solution.
I mentioned before that your IT guy may be isolated in your business, and this is something that often surprises business owners who are not technical. They hire someone to solve the IT issues, and he knows more about IT than anyone in the business, so he arrives and is instantly the hero, the savior and the expert. He is hired because he knows how to work with what is in place, or what is needed next, possibly because he's had the right experience somewhere else.
But, soon enough, he will need ongoing training and exposure to the latest technology so that he can bring that back into your business. Leaving him at his desk answering emails, phone calls and screams for help is only a short-term solution to your IT problems. Bringing in the relevant experts to run projects and assist your IT guy needs to be part of your ongoing solution to IT management within a progressive business.
It doesn't matter what size your business is – you need to work with the right technology partners and advisors to get current advice that is relevant to you. Some guy who has a sophisticated corporate IT job, and plays with PCs on the weekend, probably has no idea what will work best in your business. Finding trusted advisors who have their finger on the pulse of the IT industry is key to the future success of your business.
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David Markus is the founder of Combo - the IT services company that ensures IT is never an impediment to growth.
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