How to Build an IT Team: Big or Small
All modern companies depend on technology, which means the reliability of those tools can directly impact your business. Hardware and software creators spend a tremendous amount of effort making their systems reliable, but all technology requires a certain level of maintenance to keep them up and running.
The question is, how does a small business or entrepreneur keep their tech tools in top form without spending a ton of time and money? The answer depends on your business’s details, but a good IT plan can help you keep costs down and IT systems up.
Unless you are in the technology business, any time you are spending on IT is nothing more than a cost to your business. Like every other aspect of your company, the goal for managing your tech needs should be to spend the least amount of time and money necessary to create the IT infrastructure you need to make your business successful.
What needs to be covered
If you look around your office for just a few minutes, chances are good you will see many technology tools, and it’s easy to forget just how reliant we are on these systems. Here’s a shortlist of tools your business may be using now or need in the future:
Hardware
- Computers
- Monitors
- Routers
- Switches
- Wifi
- Firewall
- Printers
- Servers
Software
- Cybersecurity
- Data Backups
- Office Suite
- Operating System
- Desktop Applications
- Remote Connectivity
- Collaboration Tools
In addition to the list above, you may also need help with other hardware and software systems including phones, websites, and e-commerce just to name a few.
What to do when you are small
Most people try to take care of their own IT needs when they are getting started, and that approach can work out just fine. Since the hardware and software companies put a lot of effort into reliability, you might be able to keep most systems running without having to become an IT expert.
The trick is to watch out for the moment when you are starting to spend huge chunks of time sorting out your tech systems. If you are spending more than a couple of hours a week keeping all the gadgets going, it’s time to start thinking about getting some help.
Building the team
A lot of small business owners and entrepreneurs turn to their families and friends when they realize that they need help. And as long as your nephew or daughter or best friend has some IT training, this can be a perfectly acceptable place to start. You should be careful with this approach though. Just because they know more about IT than you do, they may not have a solid understanding of what it takes to minimize the risk of a catastrophic failure that can take a computer or an entire office network offline for days.
If you find yourself in need of IT help for even a few hours a month, it might be time to engage with an IT services company. If you are a small business, I would avoid the really large IT companies as they are designed to help organizations with 50 computers or more, and they will want you to set up your office systems the same way that all of their other customers are set up. This “one size fits all” approach can make sense for larger companies, but if you have 25 users or less you may want to go with a smaller IT service provider since they will be more willing to work with what you have instead of making you change your entire IT structure.
Improving your team as you grow
An IT services company is a very cost-effective approach to managing your tech, especially when you are small. As your business grows, you may want to consider hiring an in-house IT expert. If you do, it’s still a good idea to retain an outside IT company to overlap with your in-house team. Putting your entire IT system in the hands of one employee works only for as long as that one person stays. Who will know what to do the day after that guy walks out the door? If you keep an IT services company engaged, you won’t have to worry about that eventuality.
Oh, have I mentioned that we provide managed IT services? You can click here to learn more about how we help small business owners get IT off their plate.