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Simple Ways to Prevent an IT Horrorshow

By Steve Anderson, Contributing Writer

With Halloween coming on, a lot of thoughts turn to ghouls, monsters, and the horror offered by Netflix and a good dark room. But for many information technology (IT) departments, a darker nightmare is brewing, and it can make a slasher movie look like a walk in the park. Thankfully, there are some simple steps that can be taken to make those IT nightmares every bit as unlikely as those slasher movies.

Many companies have certain people that step up in the midst of IT challenges, but when these people fall out of the schedule due to vacations, illness, or outright departure, it can prompt a nightmare for the IT department and the wider operation. However, a little advance planning can make a world of difference. Keeping written documentation of the network itself may be one of the biggest strategies around, as that “instruction manual” for the network can be a lifesaver.

Next, keep a list of vendors, as well as licenses and credentials. Sometimes, a database can be handy for this, and some even use spreadsheets to help keep track of these points. There are even some specific asset management tools that can help businesses keep track of the various assets—from devices to endpoints to even licenses—that can be used. But the point here is, the better that a company can keep track of the assets in question, the better it will be able to respond to issues and keep things running smoothly regardless of who's in the office. Software licensing can be one of the biggest issues an office faces, and knowing how many licenses are on hand for what software can mean the difference between a smoothly flowing office and one that's hit with surprises.

Finally, focus on accountability. If an office depends on certain people, make sure these people are delivering the necessary content to help the office run should such be absent. Knowing what's going on is important, and if any part of the business isn't helping to keep that level of transparency, it's the kind of thing that should be addressed, quickly.

Naturally, some of this will be troublesome. Particularly in challenging business climates, employees like to develop core competencies, including things that no one else can do, to help insulate said employees against future firings. After all, employee logic says, if no one else knows how to run the computers but me, then no one can fire me. Requiring the employee to remove that competitive edge will be difficult, but keeping this logic in mind can be helpful in overcoming it with proper assurances that the sharing of knowledge doesn't make the employee less valuable. Additionally, tools like Flexera Software's lineup can be particularly useful in terms of keeping track of licenses readily. Knowing how many licenses a company has on hand in relation to how many are actually needed means that there's less overspending on licenses that won't be used, as well as less chance of being hit with unexpected bills if a true-up arrives.

In the end, the best thing is to make sure that too much knowledge isn't focused on any one person. The old saying about eggs and baskets still holds true even after all these years, and building just a little redundancy into the system helps prevent disruption—and those IT nightmares—down the line.