Even the best of intentions can be sabotaged by bad habits, and IT departments are no exception. In this post we’ll share with you the top 5 bad habits you’ll want to watch out for in your IT department.
- Bad timing with new technologies
With technology moving in leaps and bounds, the phrase “Timing is everything” has taken on a whole new meaning. If a technology is adopted too early, your business and employees will have to suffer through all the bugs, outages, and partially-formed processes that are a given with emerging tech. But, if the new technology is adopted too late, you’ll be in a mad scramble just to keep up with your industry. The right timing is crucial to ensure that technology is an asset or even a competitive edge.
- The wrong focus in hiring
Too often when a role opens in IT, too much emphasis is put on specific knowledge of certain software, hardware, and processes. These laundry lists of tech knowledge can scare away great candidates who may be a great fit for the company, even if they would need to pick up a new skill or two. At the end of the day, ensuring that a new employee is going to fit well into your company culture and is willing (and enthusiastic!) about learning new skills will have a much more positive outcome for your business.
- A rigid course
Having a plan for your business is essential, and the IT department should have a plan that supports your business plan. But being too rigid can cause major issues. It’s important to leave enough flexibility to allow for circumstances to change and new opportunities that may become available. If your IT department is focusing on specific software or hardware instead of which direction will best support your business goals, you could end up locked into a course that becomes obsolete or cumbersome by the time it’s put into motion.
- People pleasing
In a culture where we have so many different options and rarely have to choose just one, employees can get in the habit of asking the IT department to support any and all of their favorite applications and services. And, because they want to keep everyone happy, the IT department says “yes” without really looking at the potential consequences. What ends up happening is your business network becomes flooded with too many applications and services for your IT department to manage efficiently or safely. Each of these applications or services is a potential security breach, and each can fail or glitch at any time. Does your IT department have the skills and time to support all of this? Is it how you want them to spend their time? Or is it better to risk ruffling a few feathers to keep your IT streamlined, efficient, and secure?
- Skipping the training
All the high-end technology in the world can’t help your business if no one knows how to use it. If your IT department isn’t providing your employees with comprehensive training and documentation, you’re wasting your money. Think of the videoconferencing or projection equipment you’ve seen collecting dust on so many conference tables. Or the phone system features that have never been utilized. These tools could be a major benefit to the business, but your staff isn’t comfortable relying on something they can’t confidently operate.
