Binary Business

After several disappointments you finally found an IT Specialist you could trust. He answers your calls, shows up on time and best of all your computer problems are a thing of the past. You can finally relax knowing your information systems are in good hands. The months go by without incident until a timid knock on the door interrupts the your morning coffee. The first words out of your IT Specialists mouth knot your stomach. It is a conversation you have heard before, "Uh, we need to talk....". Another IT Specialist lost to promise of greener pastures in a far away city. In the coming days you interview possible replacements, settling on what appears to be a great replacement. A few days pass and the first problem crops up. The new IT Specialist rushes over eager to earn your approval. Your nerves are frayed at today's IT disaster and the first words out of the IT Specialist induce an instant panic. Four short words are the source of your panic, "What is the password?". As soon as the words left his mouth you realized that you were in trouble. The previous IT Specialist changed the password and you never wrote it down.

The Problem

Information technology professionals live for the challenge of understanding technology and finding solutions to the inevitable problems. Their least favorite activity, by far, is documentation. Unfortunately your business can live or die based on the level of documentation that exists for your Information Systems. This documentation includes user names, passwords, network settings, server configurations, essentially everything that an IT Specialist would need to effectively troubleshoot your systems. Without this documentation the time and associated cost to troubleshoot problems increases astronomically. It also provides your IT Specialist with leverage. They can effectively hold your business for ransom by preventing you from negotiating rates or searching for other providers.

Facts & Figures

• As much as 50% of all repair costs can be attributed to lack of documentation.

• Many independent computer service shops are run by one or two IT specialists.

• Documentation services can be purchased for $750 or less.

• Current and accurate IT documentation is required for company valuation, taxes and insurance.

The Solution

Complete and accurate IT documentation is an ongoing process. Every change to your IT environment can have far reaching implications and should always be documented. Complete IT documentation includes many elements. Some of these elements are: a complete inventory of all hardware and software, asset valuation, software license documentation, user account information (usernames & passwords), network settings, service provider information such as your Internet Service Provider and website host, and warranty information. An initial audit should gather all of this information and be given to the ownership or management of the company. Access to this information is crucial and should be controlled by the company not the IT Specialist. Additionally this document could be very dangerous in the wrong hands. It should be encrypted and stored in a secure location. It should be treated like the rest of your data and stored in a layered backup system.

A professionally performed IT Audit and the resulting documentation can easily pay for itself after just a few IT service calls. IT services are typically billed by the hour. Built into this hourly rate is the research time required to solve each problem. Any IT specialist who tells you they can solve any problem on the spot without any research should be shown the door. They are either lying or incompetent. Business IT systems are incredibly complex and every environment is different. Without performing adequate research an five minute fix can easily bring down your IT system. Without your IT system your business is likely to come to a standstill costing you thousands in lost revenue. Comprehensive IT documentation can prevent all of this by providing your IT Specialist with the necessary information to make the correct choices while solving issues that will inevitably arise.

Last but not least, businesses can protect themselves from unscrupulous IT Service vendors by maintaining this documentation. It is common practice for IT Service businesses to hold this information from the client as leverage. They thereby create lock-in to their services as it often prohibitively expensive to replace them. Having the documentation also prevents the scenario whereby the company decides to replace the IT provider who responds by holding your server or website for ransom. This may strike some as paranoid, but I have seen it more times than I care to remember. Save yourself the headache and hire an IT Specialist to document your systems. Don't wait until you are the victim of a high tech ransom.

To purchase a comprehensive IT audit for your business, please contact Binary Business.