Business IT networks have evolved a lot in the last 30 years to the point where it’s almost gone full circle for some businesses. We went through a period in the 80s and early 90s where business professionals were on a thin client and a PC was just a novelty item. The cost of deploying one computer, let alone a network of PCs or Apples was just too much for it to be a viable option. Software and hardware businesses sprouted up in what were very lucrative niche markets that we all take for granted because products and services are now bundled in one seamless item.
IT Networks
Novell Networks seized the market once thin networks or dumb terminals started giving way to PCs. Personal Computers were not always attached to a network. They were computers working independently of each other. The novelty of simply owning a PC gave way to productivity software such as WordPerfect and Lotus 1 2 3. However, file sharing created what was deemed a Sneaker Net for passing around files created by these fancy programs via floppies. Novel Networks excelled in bringing all those PCs together and storing the files on their own relatively low cost file servers. However, it wasn’t until ’96 where affordable PCs and Network Interface Cards started flooding the network. This is coincided with the same period as the Internet boom.
The Internet boom
Intel and Microsoft excelled in this period w the constant consolidation of products. For instance, the hardware for the Network Interface, video, and sounds cards were separate components mounted on to a motherboard. Now they are integrated into one piece of hardware. Same goes for software. Novell made network software that included user and groups plus permissions and Microsoft swallowed up that niche as their operating system included more features and created their first Windows server OS.
Introduction to Network IT Support in San Diego
Cheaper PCs created a race to the bottom as hardware became commoditized. All those PCs required someone to network them together and maintain them. This created a whole suite of IT positions. Network IT support comes in many forms. There are network engineers that manage high end switches and routers. A full time network engineer is not required with a user base of under a couple hundred. However, constant budget cuts have required a network administrator who handles the network server OS, email, and the maintenance of all users, computer, and devices is also handled by the network administrator. Phones, routers, and switches maintenance are no longer handled by a telecom specialist and network engineers. Network administrators and their IT Managers have been burdened with the task to maintain all this equipment due to constant budget cuts by small and mid-sized corporations.
The Demise of Network IT Support in San Diego
The last recession created skeleton crews and their staff never quite rebounded for a number of reasons. Smaller businesses do not have the funds for more staff is the biggest reason. However, the iPhone gave way to cloud based apps and therefore subscription based services. Larger organizations still have legacy software and equipment to maintain. Reducing IT staff creates loss of productivity for the whole organization. Smaller organizations with users under 200 people are a lot nimbler and can easily take advantage of all the significant IT innovations within the last 8 years helping them make do with less. This obviously creates an important role for whoever you designate as technology strategist or CTO.
Network IT Support in San Diego Chief Strategist
Smaller organizations do not typically have someone with the insight to provide them with a long term vision. The unintentional plan of maintaining the status quo will catch up to them. Here are some of the important questions that your appointed strategist of all things IT should be asking.
- How much local server/system redundancy (backups, high availability, and virtualization) do you need to keep your business and data safe?
- Do you have clear and secure documentation that lists important administrative passwords, IP addresses, and service contracts/SLAs? Does more than one of your employees have access to that information?
- How much technical staff redundancy (cross-training, documentation, primary/backup) do you need?
- How protected is your data from theft or catastrophe? Do you have thorough and well tested backup and restore procedures?
- Do you have offsite replicated copies of your most important data? Are the replicated copies encrypted (and should they be)?
- Do you have a patch management system in place to prevent your devices/network from being compromised from malware, hacking, or system instability?
- Do you know how much Internet bandwidth your business really requires? Did you know that inadequate speeds sometimes create significant loss in workforce productivity?
- Are your remote office or mobile workforce employees using the fastest and most secure remote access methods to get into your corporate network?
- Did you know that you can use an app on your mobile phone to make and receive business line phone calls?
- Have you given much thought to using less expensive alternatives to standard desktop PCs? If the majority of your employees are performing simple tasks such as writing email and filling out time sheets, those tasks don’t require heavy computing resources. The use of tablets or thin clients may alleviate the burdens of high replacement costs or update and support issue inherent with PCs.
As you can see, it’s important to keep a solid game plan as the job of Network IT support in San Diego gets more and more parceled out to various outsourcing firms. Obviously, the individual who assists with computer repairs may not have the vision, skill set, and or know how to scale your organization. Do your research and understand just what exactly you are getting as network IT support person. Jot down your levels of expectation for the position and determine just how you will fill the missing pieces to the IT puzzle.
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