If a company only has an “IT Guy,” it’s common that they face limitations in terms of their IT capabilities. As the role of technology in business continues to grow, having a single person responsible for IT can become overwhelming. It can limit the company’s ability to fully leverage technology to drive business growth and innovation.

We work with a lot of companies that only had one IT person on staff. This person may or may not realize they need help.  This is what we find to be the most common issues when your business relies on one person to manage and maintain business IT.

AVAILABILITY

Having just a single person supporting IT will translate to large gaps in availability when the “IT Guy” is out sick, on vacation, out for training, or otherwise unavailable due to working on another issue.

In many organizations, the IT responsibilities are just part of this person’s duties.  It is not uncommon for IT staff to wear multiple hats (often coupled with a leadership position, accounting, maintenance, etc.). Their availability and effectiveness are further diluted by these multiple roles.

Putting too much responsibility on a single person can often result in burnout. Putting all your eggs in one basket most often results in an unfavorable outcome.

EXPERTISE

While an “IT Guy” may be knowledgeable in certain areas of IT, they cannot have expertise in all areas. It is nearly impossible for a single person to possess and maintain the expertise & skill sets required to manage & support all the different types of IT Systems.

This can lead to limitations in the company’s ability to implement new technologies or troubleshoot complex issues.

Supporting the IT needs of a business requires, at minimum, the following skills sets.  If you find a single person that can say they are an “expert’ in more than 2 or 3 of these areas, the person is very likely over estimating their level of expertise.

In addition, most systems used for managing and monitoring IT Systems and Networks require weeks of training and years to make effective use of.  These systems are constantly changing and require significant ongoing investments – maintenance, upgrades and re-training of staff to learn new capabilities.  Along with the significant cost to purchase these types of systems, you will need a team of people to properly manage them.

HIRING AND RETENTION

If you have a super talented IT person, they got that way because the like to be challenged.  We see this from time to time. Once the rock star masters your environment, they get bored and move along to the next challenge, taking all their knowledge of your systems with them.

An IT person’s growth potential is typically very limited in companies smaller than 100 people. This makes it a challenge to hire and retain IT staff.

By hiring an MSP like the AME Group, hiring and retention are no longer your problems.

COST

Most of the time, a Managed IT Services Provider can provide all the services and expertise required to support your business at a cost that is very competitive when compared with hiring additional IT staff.

SCALABILITY

As a company grows, its IT needs also grow. A single IT person may not be able to keep up with the demands of a growing organization. This leads to potential downtime, delays in IT projects, and decreased productivity.

SECURITY RISKS

With cyberattacks becoming more prevalent, companies need to ensure that their IT infrastructure is secure. A single IT person may not have the expertise or resources to implement comprehensive security measures.

If your company only has an “IT Guy,” it may be helpful to have a conversation with them about how they might be best utilized in-house and what areas of your business IT should be managed by an IT provider.

By taking steps to improve the management of your business IT, you can position your business for long-term success and growth.