The list of IT issues that departments contend with is extensive. Learn how to solve small disruptions before they become bigger problems.
Preventing common problems in IT departments usually comes down to planning. We’ll walk you through five common headaches and how to solve them. A little preparation now may ward off larger issues like workforce retention and set your organization up for success.
IT Issue vs. IT Problem: What’s the Difference?
Before diving into the five IT issues that CIOs and IT managers see regularly, it helps to understand the difference between an issue and a problem in this context.
- IT issues. Issues are irritations and minor disruptions to operations. While these minor issues are snags that can be overcome quickly, they impact the overall business if left unresolved.
- IT problems. Problems arise when issues have gone unresolved for long enough and accumulate to have serious consequences for your business.
One great example of an issue becoming a problem is high turnover. Several small issues like stress, muddied communication, and unclear responsibilities add up, resulting in the problem or IT challenge: losing an employee.
6 Common IT Issues for Businesses
Companies may face multiple issues when it comes to tech infrastructure, but here are a few common ones faced by most industries.
1. Outdated Tech
Kevin Ashton coined the term Internet of Things in 1999. Since then, technology has evolved at a pace difficult for IT departments already stretched thin to remain adaptable with new technology and agile in deploying software, firmware, and hardware in near-constant need of updating.
The Solution: Stay Ahead with Dedicated Staff or Business Partners
For smaller organizations, having dedicated IT professionals responsible for a tech strategy may not be necessary. For larger companies that do business on a national or global scale or have several sites, technology and connectivity must remain up to date. Dedicated and adaptable staff can strategize upgrades across multiple sites and departments and implement those updates. They might deploy personnel accordingly or supplement with an on-demand service like Techmate.
2. Neglected Maintenance and Updates
Companies often neglect to create, implement, and enforce an equipment policy. This leads to IT professionals struggling with routine tasks as well as new technologies. Here are a few examples of routine tasks that begin as IT issues and often evolve into IT problems.
- Infrastructure refresh. These refreshes include checking servers and storage, ensuring backups function properly, and testing network and data connections.
- Virtual and hybrid conferencing. Troubleshooting issues with software and hardware used in remote and virtual environments can help avoid spotty and unreliable connectivity in meetings.
- Desktop support. Issues with desktops and devices inevitably crop up in the day-to-day operations of an organization. These can easily become an IT problem when escalated incorrectly.
The Solution: Utilize Additional Support for Routine Maintenance
A strong infrastructure leads to overall better performance across all departments within an organization and a better user experience, which is essential regardless of if your company is B2B or B2C.
Utilizing additional support, either in the form of more hires or supplemental IT services, can ensure that these routine tasks get done while the rest of your IT department focuses on troubleshooting devices, swapping out outdated hardware, and implementing newer technologies.
3. Compromised Security
Even the most robust network security or stringent anti-virus and malware software cannot always prevent the common IT issue of human error. Someone might open a malware link on a work machine or a personal account/device, which IT professionals need to be more vigilant of with companies offering BYOD policies. In many cases, threats are removed before a breach occurs. But this isn’t always the case, especially when IT teams haven’t had the time or personnel for preventative measures.
The Solution: Reduce Risk with Software and Good Practices
In addition to utilizing virtual private networks (VPNs) and data encryption on devices, IT professionals can incorporate email filters that prevent certain types of potentially harmful content from making it to users’ inboxes. But ultimately, promoting good practices within the company is an effective way to prevent IT issues from developing in the first place.
4. Data Loss
Natural disasters are often responsible for data loss and network instability. While some outages aren’t preventable, companies can be better prepared for natural disasters by planning ahead. In addition to natural disasters, human error is frequently the culprit behind data loss. In 2008, the U.K. government lost sensitive data on every incarcerated prisoner in the country when an employee transferred this data from a server to an unencrypted USB stick and then lost it.
In the U.S., a Veterans Affairs employee had a USB hard drive and laptop stolen from their home along with the personal data of approximately 26 million veterans. Even though the data wasn’t compromised, the employee wasn’t authorized to have the data outside of his office.
The Solution: Institute Backup and Recovery Procedures
The best way to prevent data loss, especially with remote workers or multiple locations, is with proactive planning. Aside from ensuring that employees use good practices in keeping data secure, routine backup and recovery can help minimize data loss when it does occur. A backup and restoration plan may be managed internally or by supplemental IT teams. They can also help migrate storage from individual hard drives and servers to cloud systems, eliminating redundant files and other clutter.
5. Lack of a Plan
Ultimately, many IT issues are rooted in a lack of planning. It’s sometimes easier to plan strategic changes over months or even years in advance, but your plan should cover the unexpected and unknown plus smaller issues. Today’s irritants can lead to bigger problems, contributing to employee burnout, data loss, and network instability. This is where auditing comes in.
The Solution: Hire IT Auditors
For companies overwhelmed by IT issues and challenges, an information technology audit can take stock of an organization’s information technology infrastructure, applications, data use, and management, policies, procedures, and operational processes.
While internal IT auditors are always an option, for large-scale organizations, it’s virtually impossible to conduct an accurate audit across all remote sites. Supplemental IT service providers can audit your organization, then offer solutions to the IT issues and problems that come to light. They augment existing IT support staff and provide supportive services for tasks routine and out of the ordinary.
6. No On-Site Presence
In today’s market, companies are more likely to expand laterally throughout the country or globally, via acquisition or organic growth, than they are to expand in one singular location. These satellite offices, remote locations, and users often get forgotten or feel left out due to geographic or headcount limitations.
In reality, these individuals are as important as those who sit at company headquarters and even more susceptible to common technology problems, security breaches, and related hardware and software issues without any local IT presence.
The Solution: On-Site Support
Some companies hire a managed service provider (MSP) to cover remote or satellite locations, but MSPs often rely on a central help desk. An alternative is on-site services that augment your company’s existing IT department. Like MSPs, they can offer 24/7 assistance on a range of issues including infrastructure, software and hardware installations, and other needs. The difference is that local technicians are there to provide this support in person.
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