Do You Really Know What Your IT Department Does?
Depending on your role in the organization, you likely have a different perception of the IT department from others. We’ve broken down these perceptions based on various roles in the organization. Did we get it right?
What The Executive Team Thinks The Company’s IT Department Does
- Develops goals or objectives for the IT Department that align with organizations. This includes providing technical oversight to projects in an effort to ensure continuous improvement and alignment with your organization’s business goals. In order to be successful in this initiative, the department is expected to stay up-to-date with and embrace ongoing technological advancements.
- Manages and supports the company’s complex IT infrastructure and oversees the management of multiple external service providers. To be successful in this capacity, the IT department must maintain and coordinate operational activities throughout the organization while working in tangent with external service providers.
- Ensures company-wide technology performance and data security efforts. The IT department is responsible for ensuring that the organization utilizes current security measures and ensures programs and networks are working efficiently.
- Provides 24/7 support. While more people know their way around technology than ever before, there are still those who need a little assistance from time to time. Oftentimes, a company’s IT department will gain a reputation for offering 24/7 technical support, which is essential to ensure that the organization’s team is taking advantage of the improved efficiency measures often associated with advanced technology.
What Other Department Heads Think The IT Department Does
- Serves as a line of business application support and advice. Not sure how to fix a computer on the fritz? Having trouble setting up email rules? Can’t access a database? Call IT. At least, that’s what your team of employees do and what they believe your IT department is there for.
- Considers back-end performance metrics to determine organizational effectiveness. Because the IT department has access to the back end of your company’s systems and data, oftentimes they are looked to as the go-to resource to determine the overall effectiveness of different departments, which in turn, helps inform operational decisions and reveal market opportunities in IT.
What All Other Employees Think The IT Department Does
- Provides user guidance and assistance. If general advice or support is needed with regard to the company’s technology, including password changes, basic system updates, and computer interface concerns, users can simply call on the company’s IT department for assistance.
- Manages printers and peripherals. Need to make sure your devices are speaking to each other and working together seamlessly? Employees know that all they have to do is pick up the phone and call the IT department.
- Crawling under desks and plugging in cables. Whether the company is
preparing for a new employee to come onboard or a meeting room needs to be equipped for a PowerPoint presentation, members of the IT department can often be found setting up computers, laptops, and meeting rooms.
What Your IT Department ACTUALLY Does
ALL OF THE ABOVE, PLUS
- Develops and enacts general governance designed to protect the
company’s IT structure and data security. - Evaluates acquires and maintains the business’s hardware
components, network, circuitry, and all other equipment necessary
to ensure a functional IT system within a designated budget. - Develops, designs, programs, and analyzes applications designed to serve its core business needs.
- Provides oversight of the company’s numerous communications channels, including the company’s email system, network drives, intranet, and phone system – among others.
What Your IT Department Doesn’t Do …
Your IT department does a lot of essential things for your business and organization; and while they may be a vital component in your cybersecurity and data protection infrastructure, they aren’t the experts in this area. If you think you might have holes in your data security infrastructure, contact Rea & Associates’ cybersecurity and data protection team today. Check out this article to learn more.
By Travis Strong, CISA (Wooster, OH)