If you’re a midsize business, you may have benefitted from the ability to hire people based on who you knew. Your business growth was accomplished with the help of people you could trust. At some point, however, your business has grown or will grow enough that you’ll need to start formalizing functions and processes. By that time, the people who work for you will have gained a lot of institutional knowledge about your company.
So, what happens when they leave?
Employee turnover can present a crisis for any department. However, you can be left open to a significant amount of risk when you lose your IT person and don’t have an immediate replacement. You’ll need to act quickly to minimize that risk.
Loss of Institutional Knowledge
Most small and midsize businesses have only a modest group of internal people handling their IT. And these people know everything about how their networks operate. They know when software updates are required, when licenses expire, and what tricks they’ve been using to stretch the operational value of their equipment. Most often, this knowledge has not been carefully documented. It’s just “stuff” they know. When they leave, the loss of their knowledge leaves a chasm.
IT Talent Shortage
Replacing a talented IT person can be a challenge – especially if that person is an experienced tech or your only IT professional. Competing for new talent is difficult. And bringing them up to speed on your network and business objectives takes time. Worst of all, paying the salary of a new hire only to see them leave in 6-12 months for a new opportunity can drain the resources you would otherwise use for operations and growth. The departure of an IT person, even on good terms, also leaves your business vulnerable.
Steps to Take When Your IT Professional Leaves
- If they give notice, have them spend what remaining time they have with you documenting everything they do for you. Try to capture as much of their institutional knowledge as possible. In fact, you should request this of your IT team even if no one is leaving. We’ve seen more than one case in which an IT professional left without notice and no one else had access to the network or passwords.
- Even if you really like the person who is leaving and suspect no ill will on their part, you need to lock them out of your systems when they leave. While you should do this with any employee, it’s most important to do with your IT person. Consider every access point and every account to which they may have had access.
- Make sure you’re still protecting your network. Are you performing regular onsite and offsite backups? Is patching being managed? And is someone monitoring your network? Your cloud backup is your key to business continuity. Whether or not other members of your IT team can step up and help, ongoing network security is a critical practice to continue.
A Permanent Solution to IT Support
Imagine how comforting it would be never having to worry about someone quitting –never worrying about missed backups or a delayed patching, knowing that your infrastructure was operational, secure, and efficient. Imagine being able to relax, knowing that your IT was in good hands every step of the way.
This is the peace of mind you can have with a Managed Services Provider (MSP). Your MSP can supplement your IT team or replaces your internal IT professional altogether. You will immediately have access to experts in the industry, 24/7 support and monitoring, and insight that can help you better align your IT strategy with your organization.
From backup and disaster recovery to network monitoring and management, from risk mitigation to future planning, for Columbus area businesses, Managed IT is often a much more cost-effective investment than hiring a new IT professional.
Give us a call to learn more!
thinkCSC has more than 20 years of experience helping clients exceed their goals with Managed IT in Columbus. Business and technology are intertwined. You can’t be strategic about one without considering the other. We offer customized Managed IT services that you need to achieve your objectives; increase efficiency, productivity, and agility; cut down on IT costs; and ensure that you have a competitive edge. Do you want to outsource most or all of your infrastructure management? Do you simply want to optimize the systems already in place? thinkCSC provides personalized IT expertise that saves money and provides the manpower that ensures your infrastructure is always an asset – never a liability.
We would be happy to talk to you about how we can help you harness the power of our Managed IT services in Columbus to maximize your reach, impact, and bottom line. Contact us today for more information.
