Zen and the Art of Proactive IT Management

If you spend a little time getting to know any of the Chase family, you’ll know we love our motorcycles. Owning a motorcycle isn’t just about purchasing an expensive piece of equipment and riding it around town; it’s a hobby that consumes your time (and your wallet). In many ways, it’s similar to running a business.

Maintaining a motorcycle (or, in my case, constantly modifying and upgrading it) takes up considerable time, but there’s something enjoyable about it. There’s a sort of sense of pride in tucking Fiona (yes, I named my bike) away for the winter, knowing she’ll be tuned up and ready to roll in the spring.

This maintenance is extremely important, though. Without it, my bike won’t last nearly as long, and it could make riding it more difficult and dangerous over time.

Your business IT is the same. You need to keep it well-maintained, or else things will fall apart, and in a lot of cases, before you can even tell that something is going wrong, you risk opening your business up to dangerous threats.

That’s where proactive IT management comes in. By taking a proactive approach to IT, businesses can prevent issues before they occur, improve efficiency, and save money in the long run. In this article, we’ll explore the concept of proactive IT management and how it can benefit your business.

What is Proactive IT Management?

Proactive IT management is the practice of identifying and addressing potential IT issues before they become major problems. It involves regularly monitoring and maintaining IT systems, implementing security measures, and staying up-to-date with technology advancements.

The Importance of Proactive IT Management

Proactive IT management is crucial for businesses of all sizes. Here’s why:

• Prevent Downtime: Downtime can be costly for businesses, resulting in lost revenue and productivity. By proactively monitoring and maintaining IT systems, businesses can prevent issues that could lead to downtime.
• Improve Efficiency: Proactive IT management can also improve efficiency by identifying and addressing potential bottlenecks or inefficiencies in IT systems. This can save time and resources for both employees and IT support teams.
• Save Money: Businesses can save money in the long run by preventing major IT issues. The cost of proactive IT management is often much lower than the cost of dealing with a major IT problem.

How We Implement Proactive IT Management

Implementing proactive IT management requires a strategic approach. Here are some steps we take to get started:

Develop an IT Strategy

The first step in proactive IT management is to develop an IT strategy. This involves setting goals, identifying potential risks, and creating a plan to address them. A well-defined IT strategy can help guide your proactive IT efforts and ensure that they align with your overall business objectives.

While this is happening, we also set up a bunch of our IT tools that we’ve invested in. The tools and software we use are normally built for massive corporations that have to manage and maintain thousands of computers across dozens and dozens of locations, allowing an IT department to manage everything from running updates to monitoring antivirus and more. These tools give our techs the insight they need to operate extremely efficiently and to perform most of the following steps:

Regularly Monitor and Maintain IT Systems

Regularly monitoring and maintaining IT systems is a key aspect of proactive IT management. This includes tasks such as software updates, hardware maintenance, and security checks. By staying on top of these tasks, businesses can prevent issues before they occur.

Implement Security Measures

In today’s digital landscape, security is a top concern for businesses. Proactive IT management involves implementing security measures to protect against cyberthreats. This can include firewalls, antivirus software, and regular security audits.

Stay Up-to-Date with Technology Advancements

Technology constantly evolves, and businesses must stay current to remain competitive. Proactive IT management involves staying informed about new technology advancements and evaluating how they can benefit your business. This can include implementing new software or hardware or even adopting new processes or workflows.

Cybersecurity is a Lot Like Operating a Motorcycle, Too

These days, one of the biggest challenges most businesses face when it comes to technology is cybersecurity. With more and more threats coming out every day and cybercriminals resorting to some of the vilest, reprehensible tricks to make an easy buck off of your pain, there is no such thing as being too vigilant.

When operating a motorcycle, there is a process known as SIPDE. It stands for search, identify, predict, decide, and execute.

Essentially, riders should follow it and use it to develop safer habits and visual skills when riding a motorcycle (although it can apply to driving, too). The idea is that the rider searches the road and off-road area a block or two ahead, staying proactive.

You then identify any objects or issues that might interfere with your path of travel, define them, and then predict which could increase the level of risk. Finally, you decide what actions to take with enough time to perform that action safely and then execute on it.

Cybersecurity needs to work the same way—everyone involved needs to be aware of what a cyberthreat could look like (and these days, they take nearly countless forms) and always look out for them. Advanced security software can also handle some of the real-time searching too, and assist with identifying threats. 

Much like a motorcyclist on a road filled with larger vehicles, a small business is particularly vulnerable to cybersecurity threats and needs to actively work to prevent them.

That’s Where Directive Comes In

By developing an IT strategy, regularly monitoring and maintaining systems, implementing security measures, and staying up-to-date with technology advancements, businesses can prevent downtime, improve efficiency, and save money in the long run. Remember, proactive IT management is a team effort, and it’s important for all employees to be aware of potential IT risks and to report any issues they encounter. With a proactive approach, businesses can achieve Zen-like IT management and focus on what really matters—their core business goals.

To get started, give us a call at 607.433.2200.