Every business needs an information technology (IT) infrastructure. You might employ one person or an entire team, which can be in-house or outsourced. Either way, IT services are essential for building your company, strengthening security, storing information, and generally keeping everything running smoothly in your internal and external operations.
Because IT is such an important part of your business, you’ll need to find top talent. Therefore the question: how exactly do you build a strong IT team? Let’s consider some strategies.
Have a sound management structure in place
You may have one leader or many. Perhaps there’s a designated technology department with a CTO, or maybe the CEO or president oversees various operations. No matter what, there should be a manager to identify the organization’s technological needs.
This will ensure that you have specific goals for your IT team and the technology you’d like to put in place at your business. Even if that person is not a technology specialist, they should have some knowledge of what’s necessary and feasible for the organization.
Consider your priorities
No two businesses have exactly the same needs. Perhaps you run a banking service and are looking for a secure way of facilitating transactions, or you manage a health insurance company and need a way to store and preserve customer data. Either way, determine your most pressing concerns upfront. Thus, you can find the IT personnel who specialize in those areas and put your biggest priorities at the top of their to-do list.
You may need to hire different types of IT specialists to handle different tasks. For example, you might employ one who specializes in securing your data, while another builds your networks.
Look outside of your organization to find talent
If you’re still in the startup phase, you might not be ready to employ an IT specialist full-time just yet. Or you could be long-established but have particular projects that require additional talent or the help of a specialized professional. In cases like these, you should consider using an IT outsourcing company or IT staffing companies to provide temporary assistance as you grow or complete individual projects.
Another reason to use IT staffing companies, in particular, is if you want to try out employees before hiring them full-time. This is a low-risk way to see if you’re satisfied with their work prior to dealing with the complete onboarding process and offering them full-time benefits and salaries.
Offer the right tools
Make sure you have up-to-date technology for your IT team, including laptops and other devices. If they don’t have the right tools at their disposal, they won’t be able to do their jobs well. Remember that this is an area that depends on using the most cutting-edge technologies available.
If your IT staff make recommendations as to the types of equipment you should buy, listen to them: they know what they’re talking about, and their recommendations will probably help all your employees.
Know what IT is and does
IT personnel offer technical support and troubleshooting, build and maintain networks and databases, install systems, upgrade and update equipment, and generally act as the go-to technical assistance for your company. They are not the same as software developers, who build products such as apps. It’s important to understand the distinction when looking for the right individuals for the job.
Measure success
How will you know if the people you hire are successful at the job? Establish metrics for measuring their accomplishments, including key performance indicators (KPIs) at the beginning, so you know whether these IT specialists are ones you want to continue to work with over time. There are several metrics you could use here, including:
- Ticket response rates
- Resolution rates
- System/technology downtime
- Mean Time to Recover (MTTR)
No matter whether you use IT outsourcing services or employ a 10-person in-house team, a strong IT department is vital to your business. As technology plays an increasingly significant role in our working lives, having that technical assistance on hand becomes more and more pertinent.
Use these steps to guide you as you search for the best IT personnel for your company. As a final note, remember to do your due diligence by checking references, reading recommendations, and reviewing past work.
