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Andy Dent: When key staff are away, the gremlins will play

Aug 4 2008 By Andy Dent

I love going on holiday. But when you are the managing director of an SME, you never really switch off. The phone is constantly ringing and there is always something that needs your attention, no matter what time or day it is.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, and the rewards of seeing our company triple in size over the last year has more than made up for the hard work that’s been put in.

But a fortnight in the sun really gives me the chance to recharge my batteries and come back feeling refreshed.

That is also something virtually every worker up and down the land will be thinking and July – during the school holidays – is when a lot of people plan to go away.

And that has got me thinking.

I am always stressing the need for companies to put in contingency plans in case things go wrong. If you are running a business, how many IT experts do you employ?

If it is just a small business, do you only have one person capable of sorting out IT problems? And if the answer is yes, what do you do when that person goes away on holiday?

I hope the answer is not ‘cross my fingers and hope for the best’.

What if the internet or the server suddenly goes down? Have you thought about what would happen if your company’s computers suddenly stopped working and nobody had the faintest idea why, and what the repercussions would be?

Contingency plans need to be put in place, not only because some terrible disaster might happen, but because it will also give you peace of mind as you will know there will be someone there to help should a problem occur.

One option would be to train up a member of staff to fill in when necessary. The problem here is that the designated member of staff would in effect be juggling two jobs.

If someone is working in accounts for 40-odd weeks of the year, asking them to step into the shoes of an IT expert every few months would be a tall order, and they would need constant training to be able to fulfil the role adequately.

On the other hand, a good IT support provider can ensure there is always someone available to ask for advice and help fix things when they go wrong, and can be like having your own IT department on call.

Your business could also benefit from tapping into a wealth of knowledge and being kept up to date with the latest innovations in the sector.

Continuous and rapid technology advances mean that now, more than ever before, it is essential to keep up to date with changes that are happening and having an outsourced partner will enable your business to do just that.

It is also a chance to take a fresh look at what you have – existing staff, your budget – and the changes you could make to improve productivity.

And while you are reviewing your IT provision, have you also thought about the effect an unexpected flood, a fire, or even a building collapse would have on your business?

Every company needs to invest in continuity planning to make sure they are prepared for the worst and ensure an unexpected disaster doesn’t leave the businesses unable to function.

We drum it into our clients that their data and systems need to remain secure and intact with the correct back-ups in place so if there is ever a problem they would be able to get their computers online with the minimum of disruption.

As part of their business continuity plan, companies need to think about how they will keep staff informed about what is happening, where they will work if the building is unusable, and how they will communicate with suppliers and customers about what is happening with their order.

During the summer season it is often the case that what can go wrong, does go wrong – lost luggage, floods, food poisoning, missed flights; you name it.

But there are things you can do to make sure the right systems are in place to deal with the unexpected.

And then you really can enjoy your holiday.

* Andy Dent is MD of Innovit. www.innovit.co.uk