Current Filter: Network>>>>>Opinion>

   

Nothing defines the quality of ones work more than the amount of benefit others derive from it. The extent to which anyone is an asset to the overall productivity of their company is how their professionalism will be determined. In Information Technology, this amounts to more than just how well any particular individual is performing their assigned tasks. Included in the mix is the performance of that IT professional's co-workers as well. That's because the typical workload in IT affects nearly all the employees in any given company. Any approach to the job that doesn't take into full account the impact of every task will risk diminishing the output of those in the company that depend on the computers that the IT department provides and supports.

Company productivity is how profits are made, and profits provide the paychecks that allow employees to pay for such things as their mortgage, cars, children, groceries and so on. Lives are lived with the salaries an employer provides to its employees, and the more profitable the employer is the more stable and secure those funds will remain. That's why IT departments must tread very lightly when conducting their daily affairs.

Computers are always a cost overhead for the investing company. Computers in and of themselves don't generate a single penny of revenue for their owners. This remains true even if the company provides computer services as its core business; the computers used by that company to conduct its business remain an expense which must be accounted for in the same way as office furnishing and building rental.

In truth, it's the other half of the human-computer equation that actually generates revenue: the employees who use those computers to conduct the company's daily business. As such, a solid IT department should focus on ensuring the systems it provides to the company make as small an impact as possible on overall operational costs. The more efficient the computers are as tools for the employees to work with, the more effectively those employees can generate the products and services that the company sells for a living.

For computers to be seen as a truly effective tool in the workplace they must be inconspicuous. Even when they're sitting squarely in front of the person using them, their computer should be the last thing the person thinks about. However, when end-users are dealing with slow logons, losing work to system hangs, unable to print, suffering a data loss, or any number of other issues, they're focusing on the computer on the desk instead of their assigned tasks. If a single minute of productivity is lost, the company will lose a small amount of its profitability as well. What's more, every computer outage contains hidden costs extending beyond the initial end-user's inconvenience.

Computer problems mean less work is completed and corporate output decreases. Opportunities to generate corporate revenue are compromised by system outages. Moreover, follow-on effects such as diminished morale brought on by the frustration end-users feel when their computers interrupt their work can lower productive output as well. Low morale can continue long after those deficient computers are running fine again and this can sustain lower quality work being carried out by otherwise first-rate employees.

It's the IT pro's job to understand the potential hidden costs in the systems they provide. Computer problems are never free. They always have a hidden price. What's more, hidden costs brought on by marginal systems can be highly nuanced and beyond the reach of the typical accounting department. Being able to understand how IT outages truly affect their company's bottom line is one of the most important skills an IT professional can bring to the job.