Meet Bryan.
He’s your IT guy. Your only IT guy. He’s been at your company for a few years now, not too long after you got started. Bryan’s pretty good at what he does. Since he started working, there’s only been one phishing incident, and that wasn’t his fault. We won’t say who it was, but Carlos had to code by hand for the next week.
As sharp as Bryan is, the digital world is evolving and you need reliable small business IT support. The benefits of hiring just one IT employee may not outweigh the risks anymore.
Everything a Single IT Employee Handles
First, let’s take a look at what Bryan has on his plate right now.
Bryan keeps the IT systems running smoothly, making sure servers, networks, and hardware are efficient and reliable. He handles updates, patches, and backups and only sometimes gets overwhelmed sifting through the 4,484 security alerts he gets to sort each day. He manages the cloud services, software integrations, and system upgrades, not to mention the data protection regulations and IT policies. Bryan keeps a steady—albeit slightly twitchy—eye on the IT budget and never fails to respond when the 12th person that day has an issue with their sign-on.
That’s a dizzying range of responsibilities for just one person to juggle.
While Bryan may be highly skilled and dedicated, putting so much responsibility on one person is risky. Here’s why.
The Risks of Sole Dependence
Limited Expertise
As much as skill sites would like you to believe it, no one person can be an expert in every facet of IT. There is so much to learn in the vast field of IT, from network management and cybersecurity to cloud solutions and compliance. When you’ve just got one person to rely on, you can leave critical vulnerabilities in your IT systems.
Lack of Redundancy
Sometimes your IT guy needs a break. If he’s out sick, on vacation, or drops his phone, who takes over his IT responsibilities? Without small business IT support, emergencies or system failures can bring your business to a screeching halt.
Burnout Risk
An overworked employee is a little like an overheating computer. They might start slowing down, crashing or freezing, and experience hardware damage. Translation: they get burned out. Two in five IT employees are at high risk of burnout. If your IT guy gets burned out, he’s more likely to overlook crucial system issues, respond slower to security threats, or make mistakes that could jeopardize your business operations. Not to mention the extreme toll it takes on him.
Security Concerns
Cybersecurity threats are evolving at a ridiculous rate, and keeping up requires vigilance and specialized knowledge. Among the most common types of malware, hundreds of thousands of new threats are detected daily. Expecting a single employee to stay up to date on security measures and attacks on top of everything else is incredibly difficult, if not impossible. This lack of bandwidth could leave your business vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Business Continuity Risks
What happens if your IT guy quits unexpectedly? You’ve been relying on his support, but that could leave you with limited knowledge of your own systems and an unclear path forward. It could take weeks—or months—to onboard a replacement, and who knows what could happen during that time?
The Benefits of a Team Approach
Building a team of professionals can take a lot of stress off both you and your IT team. Most small business IT support doesn’t involve building an entirely in-house team, but working with managed IT services (whether wholly, or a hybrid model) can give you the expertise you need.
Access to Specialized Expertise
An IT team brings experts from many different areas together. If Bryan is really great at cloud management and hardware, use outsourced IT to cover the rest of your IT needs. With this added support, you can make sure all aspects of your business IT are handled by specialized professionals.
Reduced Downtime
IT issues tend to enjoy inconvenient hours. With a team approach, Bryan can handle IT tickets when he’s online, and your managed IT service team can tackle the rest. This can help you prevent unplanned downtime and get things back online ASAP. Managed IT service providers also proactively monitor your systems, resolving problems before they escalate.
Proactive Support
Partnering with a managed service provider can give you proactive benefits you didn’t have before. While a one-person team is confined to handling issues when they come, this backup can help prevent a lot of the issues that flood your in-house IT team’s schedule.
Enhanced Security
There’s a lot your IT guy can do on his own, but getting help with cybersecurity can take a lot off their plate. Your managed IT provider can implement measures like advanced firewalls, threat detection systems, and regular vulnerability assessments. They can handle the security, leveraging tools like AI to judge threat likelihood and prevent serious damage.
What to Do If Your IT Employee Quits
The fateful day has come. Your IT employee has “decided to pursue other opportunities,” leaving your small business with no IT support and a circuit board pen holder. This shouldn’t really be surprising, since recent studies of IT professionals say 42% might quit their job within the next 6 months. Being a one-person team isn’t easy.
Here’s what you can do to handle things in the meantime.
- Change All Administrative Passwords: Make sure all critical systems, tools, and devices are secured by updating administrator passwords immediately after the employee leaves.
- Document Everything: If possible, have your outgoing IT employee document processes, passwords, and system configurations before their last day. Make sure this information is stored securely for the incoming IT staff.
- Partner with a Managed IT Services Provider: Managed IT providers can step in to fill gaps quickly. They can help ease the transition or become part of a hybrid approach to support your incoming employees.
Future-Proof Your IT with Unity IT
Having a single IT employee might work for a while, but as businesses grow, so do IT challenges. When you transition to a team-based approach or partner with a managed IT services provider, you can get individualized small business IT support.
Unity IT provides hourly IT services, perfect for small businesses looking to explore managed service providers or supplement their current team. Don’t wait until your IT employee is totally burnt out—support him with hourly IT services today.