Technology is useful and necessary in today’s workplace, but it doesn’t come without its fair share of headaches. The question is, how are you dealing with those headaches? WHO is dealing with those headaches? Hopefully, it doesn't look anything like the GIF below.
The answer is likely your IT company or internal IT team or employee. Regardless of your IT situation, there is a level of accountability that should exist there. You probably know what accountability means, but for the sake of this article, let’s properly define it.
Dictionary.com defines the word “accountable” as “subject to the obligation to report, explain, or justify something; responsible; answerable.”
Now, apply that word to your partnership with your IT company or person. Are they addressing or explaining those technological headaches and inefficiencies? Are they being proactive when it comes to security or known vulnerabilities?
There are a lot of questions being presented here, and you probably want answers. Let’s walk through what IT accountability looks like.
Potential IT Issues
For starters, let’s address some possible issues you might be dealing with. Odds are if you’re seeking out an article on IT accountability, it’s because your current situation is less than perfect.
If you’re dealing with any of these issues, you might have an IT accountability issue:
- Delays in response and support
- Communication and transparency gaps
- Experiencing frequent periods of downtime
- Frequent cybersecurity incidents and insufficient incident response
- Absence of a comprehensive long-term technology strategy
- A lack of accountability in owning and addressing mistakes
Whether you’re working with an external IT team or an internal IT team/employee, these issues are huge red flags that need to be addressed. Now that the issues have been identified, let’s detail what an accountable IT partner looks like.
What IT Accountability Looks Like
Now what exactly does IT accountability look like? It starts with getting the job done and resolving issues, then branches out from there.
Does your current IT partner have the proper systems, metrics and communication channels in place to make sure your issues are being addressed and resolved in a timely manner? If so, you’re off to a good start, but we’ll talk about that more in a minute.
Taking Ownership Over Mistakes
Now, in the rare instance that something goes wrong (we don’t live in a perfect world, unfortunately), does your IT partner own up to it, or do they pass off blame and sweep it under the rug? This is one of the biggest tests when it comes to accountability; being able to take ownership of a mistake.
When we talk about mistakes in the tech world, that means we’re talking about the possibility of downtime, meaning you won’t be able to do your job. Someone should be able to take ownership of that.
While that’s a worst-case scenario, if someone is willing to own up to a huge mistake, that means they’re also likely willing to own the smaller ones (again, in a good situation, there aren’t many of these to begin with).
Repeatable Processes
While not every issue will be the end of the world with massive downtime, there are still day-to-day fixes that need to be done. These are the issues that aren’t necessarily urgent but need the attention of your IT partner. They should have repeatable processes and proper expertise in place to resolve these types of issues quickly.
An accountable IT partner will have the ability to continuously resolve smaller issues because even though the problems are smaller, you still can’t afford to have them build up on you. That’s why you hired an IT person/team in the first place!
Leadership
As we talk about the people and processes that make the world go ‘round, it’s important to note that it all starts with good leadership. With leadership comes proper communication and strategy.
Leaders in an organization, whether big or small, should always know where they are and where they’re going (or at least where they’d like to go). This not only applies to their business and its goals but also to technology.
IT Strategy and Business Goals
An accountable IT partner will help outline a long-term tech strategy for your business. This proactive approach will help resolve a lot of headaches before they even happen, rather than the IT team waiting for something to break and then billing you for the repair.
Remember, your IT partner should be on your side. It shouldn’t just be a salesperson coming to your door begging you to buy a new computer. Their vision for your technological environment should be aligned with your business goals.
Advocate, Not Adversary
There will be times when you want to push back or ask more questions about something before making a purchasing decision, which is understandable, as you’re committing your money to it. It’s up to the IT person or account manager to show you the value and importance of what they need you to buy.
Your IT partner should be your advocate, not your adversary.
Technology is Essential
Technology is here to stay, and ensuring your IT partner's accountability is vital to maintaining smooth business operations. An accountable IT partner goes beyond completing tasks – they are proactive problem-solvers. Their solutions should be a good fit in helping you achieve your business goals and be right in line with your long-term technology strategy.
