Picture it — the year 2000. We just survived Y2K and the world was a much better place.

IT was all much simpler then.

It was completely normal for an IT department for a mid-sized business to consist of one or even two people to take care of it all.

That is not the case in 2022.

Everything now is far more complex. And on top of that, finding talent is harder than ever before.

Here are some statistics to consider:

• According to a new report from analyst Gartner, businesses think that talent shortage is the biggest barrier to the adoption of 64% of new technologies.
• Between 2020 and 2021, the number of security technologies in deployment rose from 15% to 84% of the technologies evaluated by Gartner.

Specialization is key to success, which means an IT department needs help.

Every business leader should ask themselves: Do we truly have a handle on our technology and cybersecurity?

Then, they should ask their IT department:  Do you feel we truly have a handle on technology and cybersecurity?

Take it one more step — what is it that’s holding you back from taking our technology and cybersecurity to the next level?

Now you have the beginning of a strategy to help you accomplish your business outcomes.

We believe a successful team is the key to success.

And we recognize that winning teams are made up of the very best players playing the positions that they thrive in.

Why should IT be any different?

It’s very probable that you have an IT department trying to oversee and manage areas that they aren’t experts in.

Tom Brady is likely the greatest quarterback to ever live — however, he’d make a lousy offensive lineman.

Are you asking your IT team to defend when they need to accelerate and take your business to the end zone?

Check the following areas to determine where your business is strong:

1. 1. Do you have an IT budget?
   2. Do you have a ticket management system to oversee and report on requests?
   3. Do you currently manage all your assets and have a fully documented inventory?
   4. Are you fully secured from the perimeter to the endpoint and everything in between?
   5. Have you addressed the work-from-home environment and assured there are no threats with those new assets?
   6. Do you have strong policies and procedures that you follow?
   7. Are you training your team and testing their knowledge?
   8. Do you have a plan for oversight of your phones, internet circuits and all connectivity?
   9. Is everything patched? Are you sure?
   10. Can you recover from a disaster? How about a malicious attack? Or perhaps just an error? Are you sure?
   11. How strong are your users’ passwords? Is two-factor authentication in place across the board?
   12. Do you have an expert that you trust in your board room to help you make decisions? If not, why? If so, do they have an expert that they can lean into?
   13. How are you and your team staying abreast of the ever-changing landscape?

These are just the basics — each question has a long list of items underneath that warrant attention.

Ever wonder what’s keeping your IT department awake at night? It’s likely all of these. If you want to win, this will help.

In areas where you assess to be weak, you should find a partner that’s an expert in that area and lean into them.

Co-managed environments are becoming a necessity in today’s space — it’s just too much to handle now. Contact PCA Technology Solutions to see how partnering with us can help your business succeed and improve your IT department’s sleep at night.