Why Your IT Management Needs to Be Proactive

In case you haven’t heard the startling statistic, cyber threats have increased by more than 600% since the start of the pandemic. Additionally, outdated IT assets and resources can create vulnerabilities and errors that leave your network prone to otherwise preventable failures.

So, it’s a good idea to refine and fortify your company’s IT management to remain dynamic and nimble.

One comprehensive shift your company can make is transitioning from a break/fix IT strategy to a more proactive mindset. Rather than waiting for something to go wrong, your IT management approach can anticipate new trends and address any potential vulnerabilities within your company’s network, data, and other assets that might get exploited.

If your internal IT team is already stretched thin, then it might be time to consider partnering with an external IT management firm that can help secure your company so your team can focus on more strategic initiatives. 

What is IT management? Let’s take a refresher on IT best practices and how being proactive with IT management is a significant advantage to your business.

What Is IT Management?

IT management, sometimes referred to as IT service management or ITSM, entails the general monitoring and governing of a company’s information technology (IT) infrastructure—including hardware, software, and network components.

While this description is only one sentence long, the actual application of IT management can be complicated and intense, with a lot of potential stressors adding to an IT manager's responsibilities. 

A typical IT manager oversees a variety of tasks and projects, including:

• Ensuring all pertinent hardware and software assets are up to date and best appropriate for the company’s goals.
• Tracking cybersecurity patterns and threats while staying up on industry trends and news.
• Following compliance measures with pertinent industry or regional standards and practices.
• Providing technical support and backup when needed.
• Outlining IT expenses and developing a budget for IT management needs.
• Establishing a disaster recovery plan that protects company assets and information in the event of an emergency.

Essentially, anything that deals with the utilization and application of IT resources, data, and assets falls under the umbrella of IT management.

Why IT Management Matters

Since technology continues to become further integrated into how businesses operate—with no sign of slowing down—IT management is equally important to the success and security of your business. Purchasing the best IT equipment and having top-notch employees is almost entirely moot if your operations are constantly compromised by cyber threats and technological resources aren’t appropriately allocated.

That’s why having an optimized IT management strategy is crucial to thriving in a modern business environment where digital infrastructure is rapidly advancing and staying ahead of the curve is imperative.

IT Management Best Practices

Implementing IT management best practices can help mitigate the risk or vulnerabilities of your company in addition to having a strong IT management strategy that prioritizes cybersecurity efforts, streamlined data utilization, and maximized platform stability/uptime.

Be sure your company is leveraging these best practices for good cybersecurity hygiene and IT infrastructure maintenance:

Take Stock of Your Existing Assets and Resources.

Are you taking full advantage of the services and software you’re paying for? Do your employees have the knowledge and training needed to complete their job in a streamlined manner with the help of your IT resources?

Evaluating the current state of your company’s assets and resources will help you better understand the scope of what you’re working with, which can inform your future initiatives.

Track Performance Metrics and Patterns of Data.

Performance metrics and KPIs—key performance indicators—can help clarify how your organization is utilizing IT resources and reveal points of improvement. Brainstorm which metrics need to be tracked and how frequently in order to provide the most helpful information needed to succeed.

Routinely Update Hardware and Software.

As we mentioned earlier, cybersecurity threats and attacks are only increasing in sophistication and frequency; as such, it’s critical that your assets are routinely updated so that security patches are installed and developer vulnerabilities are resolved. This helps keep your assets and information secured.

Provide Relevant Cybersecurity Training for Your Organization.

With so many things to keep track of, your employees might be forgetting to follow foundational cybersecurity practices. Mandate refresher training courses for your team once or twice a year, or as needed depending on your industry, to help keep your company protected against avoidable attacks.

Partner with Outsourced IT Management Services.

As budgets likely shrink and tech resources are stretched thin, partnering with an outsourced IT management provider might be the best course of action for your business. When leveraged as an extension of your internal IT team, third-party managed service providers can empower your team to focus on core projects and strategic initiatives.

Follow these foundational IT management best practices to help elevate your company’s overall IT strategy!

How Being Proactive with IT Management Helps Your Business

A core component of practicing good IT management is an overall mentality to be proactive instead of reactive. Over the last few years, the break/fix approach has resulted in inconsistent budgets, stressed resources that leave IT departments scrambling to fix things at the last minute, and headaches that could have been avoided if measures were taken ahead of time.

Waiting for something to break before trying to fix or improve your IT infrastructure (which is known as the break/fix IT approach) can be expensive. Some estimates put the cost of IT downtime at $5,600 per minute.

So, if it takes your team an hour to fix a simple issue after it breaks your IT infrastructure, that’s a potential cost of $336,000! By employing proactive measures to fix known issues before they result in a service outage, you can save a significant amount of money!

Perhaps the biggest benefit of implementing a proactive approach to IT management is the peace of mind that comes with it—knowing that your company is following good cybersecurity practices and leveraging your resources to their peak performance means you’re not a sitting duck hoping nothing goes wrong.

If you’re ready to partner with an outsourced IT management firm to operate as an extension of your internal IT team, then contact IT Proactive today! Our name is our approach—we can’t wait to keep your company secure so your team can achieve strategic goals while ensuring top security.