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Small business IT has become one seriously complicated affair. You have hardware & software management, IT procurement, cloud, managed IT, in-house IT, SLA’s, desktop support, audits, server health checks, server reports, software deployment, training etc. etc. etc. The list goes on.
Our dependence on technology, may it be for personal or business use, is increasing every day at a phenomenal rate. So cutting IT out of your business completely is certainly not the answer but at the same time, increased adoption of technology doesn’t have to mean increased complications in its management.
When it comes to small and medium sized businesses the only true solution is ….
….. wait for it ….
….. Decentralised IT Operation Management….....
Now before you start calling me names, allow me to present my case.
The Rationale
In essence, decentralised IT operation management is delegating the basic ongoing management of IT by letting end-users perform elementary IT functions.
“Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach a person to fish and you feed them for a lifetime”.
We carry around with us mobiles phones that in most cases, are more powerful and capable than the desktops we use at work. In this age of Information Technology, our understanding of bits and bytes is rapidly expanding. Even 2-3 year olds use tablets and phones without reading the manual and for all other answers we don’t have (and even for the right questions), we have Google.
The Method
In order to effectively decentralise IT you will need to;
The Functions
Once the right strategies are in place, here are some of functions that can be easily delegated to end-users.
The Benefits
Finally, if you’re still doubting it, here are some key benefits of decentralising your IT operation.
Technology is changing everything; the way we live, the way we work, the way we communicate, our expectations from life and people around us. Businesses not only need to evolve but they need to evolve fast. Fortunately, small businesses are, by nature, agile. Therefore a decentralised IT function in a small business will result in a robust operation that can easily take on any competitor no matter how big.
This article was written by Austin D'Mello, Managing Partner of Vocatys, an emerging technology consulting company. If you liked this article please share it with your network. You can also subscribe to the monthly Vocatys newsletter by emailing us at [email protected].
Our dependence on technology, may it be for personal or business use, is increasing every day at a phenomenal rate. So cutting IT out of your business completely is certainly not the answer but at the same time, increased adoption of technology doesn’t have to mean increased complications in its management.
When it comes to small and medium sized businesses the only true solution is ….
….. wait for it ….
….. Decentralised IT Operation Management….....
Now before you start calling me names, allow me to present my case.
The Rationale
In essence, decentralised IT operation management is delegating the basic ongoing management of IT by letting end-users perform elementary IT functions.
“Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach a person to fish and you feed them for a lifetime”.
We carry around with us mobiles phones that in most cases, are more powerful and capable than the desktops we use at work. In this age of Information Technology, our understanding of bits and bytes is rapidly expanding. Even 2-3 year olds use tablets and phones without reading the manual and for all other answers we don’t have (and even for the right questions), we have Google.
The Method
In order to effectively decentralise IT you will need to;
- Develop a clear understanding of your current operations and business requirements
- Adopt and migrate to emerging cloud and mobile technologies to access powerful and secure technologies without the need for large upfront capital and expensive maintenance costs
- Develop and deploy strategies such as BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and COPE (Corporate Owned, Personally Enabled) that once again reduce equipment costs and increase productivity
The Functions
Once the right strategies are in place, here are some of functions that can be easily delegated to end-users.
- Updates, security patches and general device management.
- Installing and uninstalling approved apps and programs
- Basic troubleshooting
- Setting up new employees
- Deleting departed employee
- Business systems recommendations
The Benefits
Finally, if you’re still doubting it, here are some key benefits of decentralising your IT operation.
- Significantly reduce IT operation costs
- Eliminate upfront IT related capital expenses
- Access the latest technologies
- Boost employee engagement
- Increase productivity
- Make IT a strategic functions as opposed to an operations function
- Reduced conflicts between IT department and end users
Technology is changing everything; the way we live, the way we work, the way we communicate, our expectations from life and people around us. Businesses not only need to evolve but they need to evolve fast. Fortunately, small businesses are, by nature, agile. Therefore a decentralised IT function in a small business will result in a robust operation that can easily take on any competitor no matter how big.
This article was written by Austin D'Mello, Managing Partner of Vocatys, an emerging technology consulting company. If you liked this article please share it with your network. You can also subscribe to the monthly Vocatys newsletter by emailing us at [email protected].
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