How To Tell If Your IT Needs Are Being Met
As the leader of your organization, you can’t be an expert in everything. Often, you need to get some help. Just think about how much you currently have on your plate — now you add IT, something that changes constantly, and even experts have a hard time keeping up.
So, asking for help or saying “I don’t know what I don’t know” is a good place to start.
Think about how much computers, phones, cells, laptops, printers, internet, and invoicing play a part in your organization’s daily operations. Now you put COVID 19 into the mix and the challenges multiply. Imagine if you didn’t have access or use of one of the above for two days or more — how does that affect your organization, clients, partners, and staff?
Can we agree that it’s a pain?
What To Consider First
So, if you’re seriously considering bringing your IT level up to a more mature standard, consider the basics that you will need first and foremost…
- Laptops /Computers/Phones/Printers– There are necessary and should be monitored, maintained, and safeguarded with regular updates and patches.
- Servers – The heart of every network and central part of management.
- NAS (Network Attached Storage) – The first line of defense from lost data / generally set up to back up servers.
- Switch – The point of connection for every piece of hardware on the network.
- Firewall/Router – The first line of defense from the outside world.
- VPN (Virtual Private Network) – A secure encrypted tunnel for those connecting to the network (COVID-19 has made this even more critical).
- Off-Site Data Storage – In addition to NAS storage, it is important to have multi-levels of redundancies for data storage. Typically, it is located 30 minutes away so if something happens to your NAS storage on-site due to a tornado, water damage, or a break-in, your organization can get plugged right back to work within a few hours.
- Microsoft 365 – Subscription with all the applications needed, including email, and updates automatically done as new releases come available.
- Internet Connectivity/Redundancy – You need to be connected to run all your applications. If one goes down, you have a second one available to avoid any downtime.
- Space – To store hardware (servers, firewalls, NAS, internet connection) in a climate-controlled environment that is locked and restricted to only a few staff.
It’s no longer acceptable to let your staff members bring their own computers or devices into the office. The same goes for not having a server or firewall, keeping outdated equipment, using memory sticks as backups, and overall, using technology in a manner that’s not secure. This means you shouldn’t be sending confidential information over email that’s not encrypted. All of the above puts your organization at a huge risk…
- A data breach that results in reputational damage, loss of customer trust, and of course, huge recovery/legal liability costs
- A significant amount of expensive downtime resulting from system failure and/or outages due to a lack of maintenance.
- A lack of productivity, and as a result, a waste of payroll dollars as your team members struggle to get work done with inefficient technology.
Financially, you say, “how do I make this happen?” Consider this great quote from one of our clients: “I can’t afford it, but I can’t afford NOT to do this.”
If you’re looking for more details, don’t hesitate to reach out. The GO Concepts team will make sure you have all the information and tools needed to make the right decisions for your organization.
Click here to get in touch with us or feel free to call us at (513) 934-8235 to hear how we can be part of the solution to your IT needs.
