Are you paying lots of IT Invoices but not sure what they all are?

For many companies their IT Systems grow in line with the companies growth.  During this time IT staff come and go and as a result the company often has many systems in the infrastructure that the IT are unsure what they are really used for or what the impact would be if they are switched off.  This means that equipment is left switched on, using electricity and the IT are hoping it never fails on their watch.

A situation where the IT staff are unsure how the IT system are put together or what everything is or whether or not a paid solution is still being used are situations we find very often in companies.  Every IT expense should be confirmed that it is still being used before payment and not left unpaid or cancelled because no-one what it is.

Not only does this cause unnecessary expense to the company but it also makes troubleshooting issues more complex and time consuming.  The IT staff have to be fully aware of what everything they support does and need to be confident they know the impact of switching equipment off or how to replace it if it fails.

One way to mitigate these risks is to ensure you have accurate updated documentation on how your IT Systems are put together, what vendors you use, what contracts you have in place and most importantly what are all your administration password are.  Documentation should also cover IT expenses and regular payments indicating what they are, contract end dates etc.  the process of doing this will ensure that the IT Staff are fully aware of everything in the environment and will be able to identify what can be turned off and disposed of or what paid systems can be cancelled with no impact.

It is the company managements responsibility to ensure that this risk is mitigated and every CEO, COO, MD, GM etc should insist that they get their IT person to regularly update the documentation (or create it if it does not exist) and it should be stored somewhere safe such that it can be given to another person if needed to ensure smooth ongoing systems.

This documentation should be validated every time the IT staff turnover so that the new staff are fully familiar with the environment.

Another option is to employ FunctionEight Ltd to come into your offices and perform an audit and produce the documentation for you.  We will work with your IT person or 3rd party vendor to ensure we have a comprehensive set of documentation that covers all the aspects that need covering to ensure everything in the environment is necessary and no bills are being paid for that are not necessary.  At the same time we can give you ideas of where improvements must, need or could be done.  Accurate documentation provides you piece of mind knowing that your environment is streamlined and you are not wasting any money paying for services you do not use.

Email f8.info@functioneight.com or call +852 2868 2855 or +65 6345 5880 now to see how FunctionEight can support your IT systems.