What To Do When Your Organization Is Growing Faster Than Your IT Function

What To Do When Your Organization Is Growing Faster Than Your IT Function 

Most people have a baseline knowledge of effective cybersecurity practices such as having secure, complex passwords and two-factor authentication. However, smaller organizations often lack the employee capacity and expertise to successfully implement an adequate IT structure. This becomes problematic as an organization grows and develops a need for better IT stability and data security. 

IT Challenges in Growing Organizations 

Common Pain Points 

IT pain points are unavoidable at times, but implementing new cyber practices or systems is a viable solution. When it comes to managing technology, cybersecurity, and talent, organizations must set strategies to properly navigate many of those pesky problems.  

Maintaining Cybersecurity 

Organizational growth has a linear relationship with cybersecurity, meaning your security measures should increase with your organization’s size and complexity. This typically gets overlooked, especially without an in-house team of IT professionals who know the correlation between growth and cybersecurity needs.  

The importance of cybersecurity cannot be stressed enough, regardless of organization size or industry.  Any growing entity may struggle with navigating IT safely.  You can’t fix what you do not know is broken or where gaps exist.  

Outgrowing Systems and Processes 

Organizations often use siloed systems for various functions rather than doing more with less. Separate systems prevent employees from accessing needed data, inevitably slowing down the efficiency of processes. Technology and systems should enhance your employees’ work and promote productivity within your organization. 

For example, even a small healthcare practice needs periodic software and process assessments to determine whether its current systems can adequately handle the practice and data growth. However, most practice owners do not have extensive knowledge about IT factors like compliance regulations, industry standard practices, or even general data protection, making it practically impossible to pick the best IT solutions without help.  

Communicating Effectively 

Expanding your organization often means changing how and where your employees work. New office locations can create business opportunities in other regions, but this expansion can also strain your existing IT systems. Many organizations have also shifted from traditional on-site employees to a remote or hybrid approach, making communication and connectivity more challenging. It’s important to implement software that allows open communication and accessible tools while prioritizing security.  

Managing Complex IT Needs 

Your organization’s ability to manage its technological needs can vary depending on your resources. Some organizations may not fully understand their IT requirements, others might have management goals that do not align with operational goals, and some may be implementing systems that just don’t work. You’ll need to implement a management or operational team that understands how to utilize continuous IT innovations while meeting changing and expanding compliance standards.  

Especially at smaller companies, efforts to maintain cost-effectiveness often result in employees wearing several hats. However, IT should be the exception: the little things matter, so don’t try to add this critical function to an already full plate.  

Even a seemingly simple IT task like purchasing a laptop for your newest hire comes with a list of questions to make sure the technology meets expectations. An experienced IT professional will know to make sure each piece of hardware is running the correct software versions, has enough memory to accommodate the necessary applications, and can be maintained for a reasonable lifespan. 

Access to Specialized Talent 

Insufficient talent puts your organization’s data security and business operations at risk. Organizations without access to knowledgeable professionals may be running software with vulnerabilities, making them susceptible to malware threats, cyberattacks, and data breaches. A cybersecurity incident can harm client relationships and result in significant consequences to your organization, including financial costs, legal implications, and reputational damage. 

The Benefits of Outsourcing IT   

Outsourcing IT saves your organization time and money as well as provides a team of professionals with unique perspectives and experiences. With deep knowledge and specializations, outsourced IT partners can help you better identify different problems and propose fresh solutions. This team can also give context for the who, what, where, when, why, how, and how much to help better conceptualize complex systems.  
Understanding the answers to those questions helps alleviate the guesswork and allows you to focus on your organization’s goals. Instead of spending time trying to implement software that may or may not be suitable for your organization, your trusted IT partner can keep your systems updated and grow with your organization.  

Next Steps: Achieving IT Scalability   

Knowing how to implement the right IT system is challenging, and knowing when you've outgrown your IT system is even more difficult. The simplest way to keep systems and resources up to date is by finding a team of trusted IT professionals to either augment your existing team or fill that role entirely. Cybersecurity regulations and technology best practices change very quickly, and outsourced IT professionals can provide scalable resources and vast industry experience to help you navigate continuous changes. Contact us below to discuss how we can help enhance your IT structure and address evolving risks and developments.