Is Your Internal IT Working? 4 Warning Signs You Should Be Looking For

When your internal IT is functioning like a well-oiled machine, it doesn’t just put you in a better position to address the challenges of today, it also helps you prepare for the evolving requirements of tomorrow and beyond. If your internal IT isn’t working the way it used to, however, you’re doing far worse than just wasting time maintaining the status quo — you’re actually costing your business money in a host of different ways.

They say the first step to recovery involves admitting that you have a problem in the first place. Knowing how to identify when your internal IT just isn’t working anymore doesn’t just help you increase the efficiency of your infrastructure, it can also help lower costs across the board and increase your return on investment at the same time. 

Find out how Lanrex can help your business boost efficiency and maximise ROI. Get in touch today. 

One of the major signs that your internal IT efforts might not be generating the results you need is if you feel like you’re spending the majority of your time maintaining the status quo, as opposed to focusing on continual service improvements that allow your business to continue to grow and evolve.

Keeping everything functioning is important — but devoting so much of your time to this one core area alone isn’t going to bring in new clients, improve the products or services you’re capable of offering, or improve existing relationships. 

This is an example where making the jump to external IT through something like a managed services provider actually makes a lot of sense. In addition to delivering network, application, system, and IT management services on a “pay as you go basis”, they also handle everything from network maintenance to troubleshooting to updating and more on your behalf. This frees up the time of your internal IT employees to focus on moving your business forward.

Another clear sign that your internal IT isn’t working involves recurring issues that tend to rear their ugly heads again and again. The only thing worse than the fact that you’re suffering from the same issues is the fact that your internal team has not been able to identify why.

These are the types of situations that don’t just cause headaches — they can actually be catastrophic to your ROI. Keep in mind that most experts agree downtime is the second largest cost that a business can face. Last year alone, downtime cost Fortune 1000 companies between $1.25 and $2.5 billion. One study even estimated the national average cost of downtime as $0.38 per second, $22.80 per minute, $1,368 per hour, and $32,832 per day. Are these the types of costs your business can afford?

Addressing the needs of your business as they are defined today is only one small part of what IT is supposed to do. Equally important involves the creation of a solid foundation of solutions that allow you to meet future requirements as your organisation continues to grow and evolve.

Simply put, if your current team is great at managing your existing environment but don’t have the skills or experience necessary to design IT with an eye towards the future, your internal IT isn’t working. 

Having a plan for growth is one thing — having the resources in place to enable that growth, as well as the team of people you need to make sure everything is continuing to move on the right track, is another story altogether.

One of the most critical signs that your internal IT isn’t working the way you need it to is if there is little or even no relevant documentation in place. Knowledge is critical when it comes to maintaining a business IT environment. But if that knowledge exists only in the heads of the team — or even within a single key person — it may as well not exist at all.

This is the type of problem that leads to slower responses to issues, increased development time, and ultimately lost revenue. 

If your team discovers a valid resolution to a problem but doesn’t document it, how are you supposed to replicate that in the future? If you have one key IT person who knows pretty much everything there is to know about your environment, but at the same time nothing is written down, what are you going to do when they leave?

These are the types of questions that you shouldn’t have to ask. But if you are, your internal IT is actually too insular. It’s a sign that it may be time to step outside your comfort zone and embrace external IT with open arms. 

At Lanrex, we pride ourselves on being more than just a business IT company. Above all else, we’re here to help our customers and their businesses perform better through the careful, calculated application of better IT — period. Technology on its own is important, but it is only one small part of a much larger story. Knowing how to leverage it is the key to generating the types of business outcomes you deserve.

If you're in or around the Sydney area and would like to find out more about how to identify when your inernal IT isn't working, or if you'd like to dicuss your situation in a little more detail, don't hesitate to contact Lanrex today.