But ‘enough people’ does not always correspond to ‘the right number of people’. Moreover it’s easy for job roles to become blurred, creating an overspill of talent in one area and a shortfall in another.

It’s particularly important for the IT department to be well organised, as so many other areas of a business rely on that department to keep the computer system running at peak performance on a day to day basis. This is why streamlining your IT department is vital to ensure that the right people are always in the right place at the right time.

The first step in the streamlining process is to identify the strengths of the people in the team. Are some people wasted in their job roles? Do others do too little? Finding out what each person does can also highlight any areas of potential weakness which could be exploited if the IT infrastructure were to run into any major problems at any point.

Some companies are reluctant to alter or lose any particular job roles, but sometimes it’s necessary to ensure maximum productivity and make the department more streamlined. After all it has a responsibility to keep the IT infrastructure operating at peak performance, and if the current state of the department is putting that in jeopardy then it’s obvious that certain changes will need to be made.

It does happen that some companies employ too many IT specialists during peaks in trading, and then find they are left with too many at other times of the year when it tends to be quieter by nature. A good solution to streamlining the department in this case would be to keep a skeleton staff at all times, and outsource to an external company to provide the extra assistance needed during busier times. This would ensure the company still has enough workers to make sure the IT infrastructure can cope during the peaks in business.

Every business will have different ideas and needs for streamlining their IT department. But whatever those needs are, it’s important they are met in the most cost effective way possible.

All businesses need software for their computers; the type and amount of software programs required depends largely on the type of business being run and how large it is. But regardless of these issues the problem of whether your software is authorized or unauthorized can rear its ugly head in any business, and it’s important to have adequate measures in place to ensure that any problems associated with unauthorized software are kept to a minimum.

Many employees don’t recognize the problems that can occur when unauthorized software is introduced into the system. Of course the most pressing issue is that of keeping within the law; keeping a copy of the software locked up safely in your software library is perfectly acceptable, but installing that same software on half a dozen computers in a single office is most certainly not.

Unfortunately some employees are naïve when it comes to this kind of breach. It can be worth amending the staff handbook or guidebook to ensure that guidelines and advice regarding such matters are included there for them to read. Department memos and perhaps even training sessions to help raise awareness of these issues can also help to bring people in line with what’s required by law, and what’s required by the company as a whole.

Of course some employees will assume that they are doing the company a favor by using software in inappropriate ways. Why purchase more copies than you really need when one or two copies can be used to install the program throughout an entire office? Employees that take this line of thinking assume they are doing a good thing by saving the company money – not thinking ahead to the possible fines and fees associated with being caught.

The other main problem associated with using unauthorized software is the risk of introducing viruses and other unwanted ‘hangers on’ into the business systems. If an employee brings a copy of some software they have at home, or worse, accesses it from the internet, they are putting the safety of the whole company at risk.

It’s plain to see that using authorized software is the only safe and legal route to making sure you get the best from your computer system. The challenge is in making sure all staff members recognize and accept this same fact, and don’t do anything to jeopardize it.

Every single time the computer system is upgraded – whether it’s a small change to make customer ordering easier or the installation of a whole new system – it’s necessary to follow this by letting all the relevant staff members know of the changes that have been made.
How this process is done can make a big difference to how successfully your staff cope with the changes. Given the basic truth that many people do not like the idea of change, it’s a good idea to give your staff adequate notice of any forthcoming work on the computer system – as much as is humanly possible under the circumstances.

Not only will this give them time to prepare mentally, it will also ensure they have enough time to put in place any other measures or contingency plans that may be necessary to allow business to continue as normal while the IT work is carried out.

But training isn’t just required in times of change. IT training should be a regular part of life at any company if maximum efficiency is to be achieved.

Terms such as multi-tasking and multi-skilled are becoming a part of more and more workplaces, and with downsizing being another area of concern in many companies it is necessary and advisable to make sure that as many staff members as possible are trained to perform the roles of their colleagues. Not only does this lead to a better all round service for the client or customer, but it also lends a greater appreciation for all roles within the company.

The level of IT knowledge required by any single staff member will depend on their job role. Some people will naturally acquire more knowledge in addition to this, while others will be hesitant to learn anything new – even if it would benefit them in their day to day work.

To this end, regular and more informal advice and assistance on improving computer skills would be beneficial to most companies, giving people the opportunity to increase their knowledge without any pressure. Combined with more formal training sessions whenever required to inform and educate the staff about new updates to the IT system this can be an encouraging combination.

In an ideal world every employee would know what skills they are lacking when it comes to using computers in a working environment. But in reality things are not so simple.

That is why it’s advisable to monitor the performance of each employee periodically, so that additional training can be offered when it is deemed necessary.