What is proactive IT? Understanding what a reactive IT team looks like is important to defining a proactive one. In short, they don’t see problems coming, and only become aware of issues after they happen. This often leads to scrambling for a solution (or... putting out a fire). By leaving yourself without time to make good decisions, you can end up losing in more ways than one. So, rather than firefighting and constantly fixing things, you can make decisions that affect your organization more profoundly.
How to achieve proactive IT
To achieve proactive IT, start with the low-hanging fruit. Find out what tasks staff spend most of their time on, then develop automated solutions for dealing with these tasks.
Tip #1 - Script writing
In this situation, scripting can be very useful-especially when combined with remote management. An IT department can save valuable time and employee sanity by writing a script that can fix common endpoint registry issues.
Tip #2 - IT service management
A smart IT department will automate workflows and manage IT services in addition to scripting. This defines key IT services and documents the IT infrastructure. In addition to ensuring a smooth operation, a centralized management system can warn you when problems arise.
Tip #3 - Asset management
Process refinement can also help IT teams prevent problems. IT departments can gain valuable insight into upcoming renewals of service contracts and end-of-life equipment through an asset management process. There may be a need for responsive service contracts or even onsite replacement of critical assets. This requires an up-to-date and comprehensive asset database.
Tip #4 - Change management
Change management is another crucial process. Planning and executing system changes should follow strict workflows, with proper checks and balances.
Engage SMG to automate your business
It takes time and planning to transition from reactive to proactive IT, but the result is a hassle-free IT environment. Automation tools and well-defined processes will prevent previously common problems from surfacing.
A proactive IT strategy requires more than just good planning. As soon as you free yourself from operational issues, you'll need to be able to engage people. You will assist leadership in making IT decisions that positively affect business processes, or even create new ones. Get in touch with our team to learn more.
Discover our approach: (563) 445-6402 | contact@smgtech.biz