How to Maintain A Reliable and Skillful IT Department

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A successful business relies on a dependable and proficient IT department to support and maintain your company’s infrastructure. Having an IT team who are mentally and/or physically exhausted or dissatisfied can result in issues with your operations that can cause technological emergencies. Maintaining a dedicated IT team is essential to ensure your network operates at its maximal performance.

Continue reading to find the three best practices you can do in order to have a successful and fulfilled IT department.

Fill Open IT Positions ASAP

Although there might be some job positions within the organization that does not necessarily need to be filled immediately, filling any openings within the IT department as quickly as possible is a must. 

If a member of your IT department leaves the company, the rest of the group must carry the load. While the remaining team members may work more hours to help fill the gap, it is your responsibility to take the extra time needed to find an appropriate replacement. If the rest of the department feels like the hiring process is moving slowly in order to save money, they will have ill will towards the company, and their work will show precisely how they feel. If filling in the open position takes longer than anticipated, try to pay your IT staff a little more for the extra time and hard work they have been putting in.

Negotiate for Your IT Budget

Just like in any other position, the right tools are required to do a job properly. This is also true for the department of IT. Unfortunately, when it comes to creating a budget, the administration can cut the funding for IT or not allocate more money to the department. If your employees in IT see other departments growing while they feel overworked and exhausted, they will become burnt out and may eventually leave the company.

It is important to remember that the more complete an IT department is, the more willing employees will be to keep the company’s IT infrastructure as secure as possible. IT funding should be incorporated into the budget as a priority because IT can help increase productivity and efficiency. 

Outsource Short-Term Projects and Routine IT Maintenance 

Often if your IT team gets overwhelmed with short-term projects or routine IT maintenance, there might not be enough time spent on improving the company’s network operations. Distributing these tasks to another company, also known as co-managed IT services, can free up your IT team and allow them to focus on meaningful IT projects that can improve the productivity and efficiency of the department. 

At WheelHouse IT, our team can help assist your IT department by remotely taking care of your routine IT maintenance and any short-term projects your organization may encounter. For more information, contact us today at 954.474.2204.

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Is a Managed Service Provider Model Better for IT Support?

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Managing technology for your business requires you to have IT support in place to help you navigate repairs when they inevitably occur. The level of support you receive from a managed service provider support model can make a difference in ensuring your business stays up and running with quality tech. 

Break-fix IT support can be a costly option for technology management. It can result in a lot of downtimes, which just pile on the costs and loses customer loyalty. Managing your IT doesn’t have to be done last minute when it breaks down. You can manage your tech through a managed service provider without breaking the budget. 

What is managed service provider for IT support, and how is it better than the traditional break-fix model? 

Why Break-Fix IT is Not Sustainable

Break-fix IT is an option for many businesses because it seems to be a more affordable option. There may not be a budget to have in-house IT support, and break-fix companies will often work hourly. The problem with break-fix IT support is that general upkeep is not an option, and downtime can be spread out over longer periods. 

When your business can no longer access the tech needed to operate, downtime occurs, and your business loses productivity and costly downtime. Your customers will have to wait for services which can increase your losses and damage customer loyalty and reputation. Proactively managing your technology can be better than simply waiting until the last minute to make repairs or replace your tech. 

What is a Managed Service Provider?

A managed service provider is an IT management model that was created to address the challenges of managing tech with a break-fix model. Managed service providers, or MSPs, are a proactive technology management option providing companies with services to help care for and manage their tech. They focus on proactive prevention and real-time maintenance and support.

Managed service providers can provide support plans to fit each company’s needs and unique challenges. They can provide helpdesk support and 24/7 monitoring to protect your network, manage risk and compliance, system and software maintenance, and manage server configuration and management. The way the maintenance is set up with a service level agreement allows each company to pick a level of service. This enables you to get what you need without having to worry about the expensive upfront costs that come with break-fix IT support.

If your company has an IT department, managed service providers can still provide value by providing additional support, upkeep, and maintenance. It allows your IT team to focus on other projects and provides you with a piece of mind knowing your tech is well cared for all around. 

Choosing which IT support model works best for your business can be a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be. Proactively caring for your technology can save you more money and prevent issues down the line. WheelHouse IT helps businesses flourish no matter the level of IT needs. To learn more, reach out to us at 954.474.2204. 

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