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How does a smaller business best manage IT services?
IT service management is an increasingly critical need at companies large and small, but smaller companies don't always have resources available to dedicate to this area. How can those companies best leverage tools, partners and other influencers to define, deploy and manage IT services effectively? What have you seen work well, and what have you seen NOT work well?
Best Answer
- Recommended by:
- Michael Dortch
What has worked well for us, as a small company, are the cloud-based IT services. I suggest services like Google Apps and Office 365 for communication, scheduling, and productivity; Dropbox for cloud-based shared storage space; and Microsoft Intune for hardware, software and security maintenance.
I manage our 15-person company with Office 365 and Dropbox. The main benefits are that 1) you don't need to rely on an outside IT specialist, 2) the hardware/software is not your concern (they all maintain their own servers); and 3) it is very cost effective. And of course, this allows the ultimate mobility because everything is cloud-based.
Best,
-Lee
- Recommended by:
- Michael Dortch
My opinion is that smaller companies should dedicate those resources to this area because with IT management would not survive, ITIL`s levels of services are a great practice to improve even at smaller companies, our experience it´s that helps you to know your employees (training they need ), your business and how to improve it.
Things that work well:
The implementation of a help desk position(fast answers).
The implementation of a system to control all IT interruptions and the users requests(knowledge and control of your equipment).
Those are two of the most important aspects that define your effectiveness
I hope this information be useful to your work.
Funny you should ask!
There are a few top tier IT Support organizations that do focus on the needs of small business. I lead CMIT Solutions - we are a 130 office national organization that delivers enterprise-class IT support to small business at prices they can afford and with service levels they have never experienced.
Take a look at: www.cmitsolutions.com
Jeff Connally
President & CEO
Looking at the big picture you should ask two questions.
First, is IT central in the processes of developing and delivering your business product or service?
Second, is there upward mobility for your IT employees?
If IT is in the essential business product or service stream then the business should maintain control of its IT resource. If however IT is a necessary tool of business but not in the critical path of the core business, consider outsourcing.
The second issue requires a little more consideration than normally given. Tech Republic recently published a survey and reported that the worst job was considered "Director of IT." In a small company there is no place to get lost and if you can't see yourself as essential to the firm in your role then that role will become a revolving door.
This is a too-often not considered factor.
I don't know if I could have managed the IT needs of my business had it not been for my 25+ years experience, skills and background in the Information Technology sector.
Today the cloud is making it easier and much better for smaller businesses...but due to the unique considerations for every business, I would retain a qualified consultant to help me understand what's best for my business, whether that's through direct payment, partnership/collaboratin or bartering...it's worth it!
This question can be complex. The variants in terms of which route you take can depend on the nature and industry of the small business and if there are industry compliance metrics to meet (Health care, financial and so on). If IT Management is a cumbersome weight on the company then in an attempt to minimize IT overhead management and physical expenses it may be wise to look at a cloud solution. If you would like to host your own network of storage/servers it may be wise to invest in a good management software such as Tivoli Monitoring software to have a better view into your environment. Just remember in the end, you usually get what you pay for. By entering a cheap and easy route it may end up costing you in the long run with maintenance, network issues and down town. It would be best to look at your end goal for IT in your company. If for your small business a simple server will fit your needs than great, if your company is looking to grow and thus needs to have options to scale out in the future you may want to start with a cloud solution, or invest in a company with scallable products or even a hosted environment may be the appropriate fit.
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I believe there are 3 types of support needed at all levels of business - hardware, software (for off-the-shelf programs) and support for custom designed and/or modified software. The single biggest problem I have encountered is lack of documentation, especially on-site documentation of hardware and software. Although unfamiliar with Mr Connally's corporation, I strongly recommend using an IT support organization to, at a minimum, provide software and data backups, monitor network and server health, and provide on-site technical support when needed. Finding support for off-the-shelf software is not difficult but the quality and cost can vary widely. Getting a recommendation from other local businesses is a good place to start. Getting support from the software manufacturer can be spotty and might entail long waits on the phone listening to 'interesting' music or sales pitches. Getting support for custom software can be the most frustrating. The first step is to insist on good documentation. This should include clear installation instructions, a user manual that is complete enought to enable a new user with minimal computer experience to learn how to effectively use the program, information on how the program is organized, how and where data is stored, required resources (disk space, special hardware needs, etc.), and a documented copy of the program source code. The final requirement is one person on staff who is the single point of contact for IT issues. This person doesn't have to be a computer expert. He or she only needs to know who to call, where the documentation is located, and how to describe the problem.
Tom Hope