When’s the last time you sent your five-headed IT guy, aka Jack-of-all-trades, to a training class to learn about the latest technology? How sweaty and queasy do you feel when poor Jack has the flu and should really go home? And what about vacations? When Jack, so deserving of a break, finally takes one, do you sleep at night or lie there worrying whether he’s keeping his mobile handy? Do you reach for your own smartphone, fingers itching to hit speed dial just in case tomorrow you need to?
You didn’t get your business where it is today—solid, poised for greater growth and profitability—without adding smart people with specialized expertise who keep things moving smoothly and in the right direction. You also understand what’s at risk when too much relies on one person. Yet here you are with one guy—Jack—who knows everything about your technology systems and requirements.
You’ve thought about hiring an additional IT person, but what are your technology priorities? Where is your greatest need—what knowledge or skills do you most lack?
Chances are good that when your company was getting started, email was your main business application. Now every business area, from HR to finance to sales, runs multiple and diverse apps, software, and more. On your staff, you have skilled power users who spend their entire workday on specialized applications. You also have valuable employees who previously worked without computers and today can’t get anything done if their PCs aren’t working.
Meanwhile, everything depends on Jack. You don’t need one more tech person, you need an army. Or, better yet, bring on a managed service provider who can help Jack unload the work that does not play to his strengths and provide critical backup so you can eliminate risk and focus on growing your business.
Look for a managed service provider with deep technological expertise and a diverse staff that can work seamlessly with your in-house tech person. From supporting end-user requests to providing engineers for projects to technical validation of organizational requirements, your provider should be a one-stop shop offering services that ebb and flow with your business needs.
Now, shouldn’t you be talking to Jack about taking advantage of your training budget? And there’s all that vacation time he needs to use up before the end of the year …