Your IT department is the [pick a major organ] of your small business… Keep IT healthy by monitoring these 8 vital signs

Whether the heart, the brain, or the tongue of your business, the IT department needs to stay healthy. Deft adjustments and new solutions will be mandatory, as IT manages the business’ data and adjusts to the rapid rate of change.

Small businesses can suffer when overtaxed, understaffed, or underskilled IT teams lack necessary functions. Does a heart need working valves? Does a tongue need tastebuds? Some of these functions are pretty obvious; others are more abstract and can snipe your productivity before disappearing into the cold, dark night.

So the question is: what are the necessary skills and functions you need to make sure are covered? This article will deal with the 8 signs of a healthy [insert major organ here]. And be sure to come back next week for solutions to the “talent dilemma.”

8 Vitals of a Working IT Hub

1. Data Storage and Integrity – How does the business manage data, and how does it plan for change? Are there solutions on the market right now that would help the company lower the cost of/improve data exchange?

2. Database Design and Management – Can you hire an on-premise staff, or outsource the job?

3. Security – The IT team needs to keep your customers’ data safe in an increasingly compromised digital world. In a recent study, 56% of surveyed small businesses had been the victim of a cybercrime within the past year.

4. Abstract and algorithmical thinking – Absolutely vital to solving problems in managing complex data flows, most small businesses ask for this level of talent when they look for new hires.

5. Network support – IT teams need to keep you on the network 100% of the time. They need the resources to constantly monitor performance and troubleshoot before the problem becomes a problem.

6. Consistent naming conventions – Many IT departments struggle with communication due to mismatching names, and resolving these issues requires organization and strong leadership.

7. Software development and support – The most powerful tools on the market today only work well after the tool has been modified to fit the organization’s resources and processes. Even better are the professionals who can design new software and apps for the company.

8. Communication – In order to modify tools effectively, IT teams must be able to understand and communicate with other divisions and corporate leadership.

Sound easy, or do you need to outsource some of these functions? Come back next week for a discussion about the salary requirements for these critical skillsets.