Why your IT department is important.
A program isn’t working, you’re locked out of your computer, a system needs to be updated… who are you going to call? IT! While fixing problems and getting machines up-to-date is one role of IT, the reality is that the IT department is often the unsung hero of the company.
These are just a few reasons why the IT department is crucial to your company’s success.
They are the first (and last) line of defense.
Maintaining and improving digital security is one of the IT department’s most critical roles.
From a proactive standpoint, IT departments develop the security apps and firewalls that keep your phone and computer safe, while also ensuring that security and anti-virus programs are up-to-date for every single employee.
From a reactive standpoint, IT departments spring into action when a phishing or hacking attempt strikes. In the event that an employee is hacked, the IT department is the last thing standing between the hacker and the company’s valuable information. Talk about an important job!
They keep your company running.
Your entire company is built on the infrastructure that the IT department builds and maintains. This includes all of the physical components that keep a company running, like the server hardware and employee devices, as well as the network that your company operates on.
It only takes one weak point in the infrastructure to send everything crashing down, and the IT department focuses on finding and strengthening those weak points.
They store your data.
Your company’s data is precious, and your IT department ensures that data is kept safe and secure.
There are multiple facets to data storage and security. Daily maintenance is critical to ensuring data is protected, as is updating and expanding the company’s hardware as the amount of data grows. IT departments must also build contingency plans in case of a hardware failure to protect from data loss.
They keep your technology current.
Technology is evolving at a lighting-quick pace, and a company can get left behind if someone isn’t focused on keeping their hardware and software solutions up-to-date. The IT department plays a key role in updating and implementing new hardware and software solutions.
And yes, they do provide technical support.
This is where most of our day-to-day interactions with IT take place, but technical support goes far beyond the trouble shooting and hardware fixes the IT department performs. Technical support also includes employee on-boarding and training, the installation of new programs, and helping employees migrate from one system to another.
These are just a few reasons why the IT department is the backbone of your company, but we could easily list another dozen or more. So the next time you feel yourself ready to lash out because you’ve been locked out of your email, remember that your IT department is only here to help, and that they dedicate their entire job to making sure that you can do yours!