IT is very rarely considered a primary pillar of a business. Too often it is seen only as a support function for consumption by other departments.
Yet IT is one of the only functions which truly touches and impacts every single part of the business. It isn’t a silo, it is core to a businesses ability to operate. And because of this, IT can often be the sole department that knows how a business actually functions, not just how it is thought to function.
When IT is seen as an equitable partner magical things can happen. By default, IT functions need to act in a trusted manner by their very nature; its staff can potentially access every file, every email, every payroll record within a company1, and this means that from the get-go most IT people understand that trust is one of the most important tools they can have outside of a technical mindset.
But too often those outside of IT do not view it as a trusted business partner. And this is where friction can form; leaders want to move the business forward but without using IT as a trusted asset to help propel that motion.
Very often succesful startups - especially those that are not tech aligned - outgrow their own IT departments. As the company grows and expands, their IT struggles to catchup and offer a service that is fit for purpose. Often times this is not the fault of IT but of decision makers who do not understand the value an effective IT organization can bring to the table. Or even worse, don’t care.
Repairing an organizations IT offerings isn’t easy, mostly because at some point someone is going to have to spend some money. However it doesn’t need to be expensive, it can simply be about redirecting funds from one place to another and acting iteratively.
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That support contract you didn’t know you had for 10 Blackberry devices? I’m cancelling that and the 3 year saving is going towards a new WiFi mesh that will fix a bunch of issues everyone is having.2
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I’ve overheard you may be looking to hire fully remote workers in two years? Let me redo the plans for the infrastructure refresh projects so that we are no longer tied to the office for access to crucial services 12 months from now.
Key to reinventing an IT department is documentation and process. Yes yes, I know you have documentation. But I also probably know that Dave is working from a slightly older version of that doc than Steve. Every process, every piece of work that flows in to or out from an IT org should be documented. Not only to highlight where improvements can be made, but also so you can measure the impact that interactions outside the department have on the service you provide.
IT isn’t a cost centre to be pushed to the side. It touches every person within your organization and uniquely has the opportunity to influence everyone within it as well.
Let IT in.