Why should I listen to an IT person about my business?
From decades of experience with dozens of vertical markets, we have worked with and seen all kinds of business owners, CEOs, presidents, VPs of this or that, Directors of something, and managers in charge of one area or another. We’ve worked with school principals and business managers, pastors, sales people, investment gurus, doctors, lawyers, accountants, veterinarians, concrete people, IT people…whew…we could go on for a long time! Let us just agree that Solvonex people have worked with thousands of others over the years.
One such encounter our company founder remembers was back in 2002, so this is just post 9/11, and was with a bank president. It was a regional bank with 10 or so locations and was doing pretty well. For those of you who are not financial industry people, and this is not meant disrespectfully at all, but financial services people are typically fiscally conservative AND risk adverse. Nothing wrong with that approach at all. We’ve seen it in banking, mortgage, and insurance companies for sure. But this one bank president was having a conversation with our founder about business continuity and disaster recovery. The point being made to the president of the bank was that having some hardware on reserve, such as some spare PCs and network gear, would enhance their ability to resolve problems faster and achieve his desired up-time.
The bank president was not getting the point, even after our founder had laid out a cost effective plan on paper with the money, budget, expected outcome, etc. After reading the report, the bank president said, “Now this sounds great but is not really needed. I’m sure Dell will arrive with a truck load of PCs if we need them.”
Wow! That was an interesting point of few. The bank president jumped to an assumption that a supplier would or COULD sell and bring anything they needed at the drop of a hat. We’ll skip the hindsight or foresight being 20/20 discussion for a moment, but the bank president was making an assumption that Dell thought the bank was their most important customer and would just deliver. Now, we love Dell products and sell them. No question about Dell’s ability to execute. However, like all of us, Dell is also beholden to supplier issues, shipping, workforce demands, etc. etc. etc.
After a few moments, our founder replied, “That is one way to look at the situation. However, what company is across the street from this building?” Our founder was pointing out of the bank president’s window to the local, regional power company headquarters.
The bank president obviously knew who it was across the street and answered with the power company’s name. Our founder then said, “If a tornado comes through here and wipes out our headquarters and their headquarters, and Dell has to arrive with a truck load of PCs to help both of us out, who do you think Dell will choose to help first? A small bank or the regional power company that supplies powers to millions of people?”
The bank president sat back for a few moments and replied, “I see your point.” Even with the president being financially conservative and risk adverse, he understood at that point that the bank may have to prepare for outages on its own and could not assume Dell would just arrive with a truck load of PCs.
A week later, the banking institution’s bank regulators arrived for their yearly audit and made recommendations. The auditors agreed with our founder about the disaster preparedness approach and asked the bank management to think about small and large scall disasters. Our founder did not gloat or do a dance, but the point he learned was that creating a business plan, even for IT “stuff and things”, is always needed even if a business leader turns it down. State your case, show how IT can add value, and sometimes, it helps when other industry leaders, even auditors, review and re-articulate your recommendations because those recommendations are best practices universally.
A month later, spare PCs, network gear, and hard drives arrived at the bank’s headquarters and was used as needed when things went down over the months and years beyond. This was not a large expense and would not even have saved the headquarters of the bank if it had been wiped out by a tornado. That was not the point. The point was to at least have and SHOW a little bit of disaster preparedness for daily outages to support the bank’s business and to begin thinking about the larger scale implications. All responsible business leaders and responsible IT people should take this approach whether it is 2002 or 2024.
Now, fast forward to COVID-19 in 2020 and beyond. What is going on then and now with technology supply? We had at that time and still have supply chain challenges. Getting some things shipped and in hand, including computing related hardware, can be challenging. While this is not an article about COVID related issues or supply chain problems, the point is still valid in that we are advocating for business leaders to listen to their IT people. However, it is incumbent on IT people to develop good tech and business plans and work collaboratively with business units.
Here are some things to think about why a business person should listen to their IT people:
Information technology (IT) is a critical component of modern business operations. IT teams are responsible for managing and maintaining the technology infrastructure that supports the business, including hardware, software, and data. When business leaders fail to listen to their IT teams, it can result in significant business losses. Here are some reasons why:
1. Security Risks IT teams are responsible for ensuring the security of the company's data and systems. They are trained to identify and mitigate potential security threats. When business leaders ignore the advice of their IT teams, they may be exposing the company to significant security risks, such as data breaches, cyber-attacks, and loss of sensitive information. This can result in financial losses, damage to the company's reputation, and loss of customer trust.
Security risks also include loss of business due to daily outages or large scale disasters. IT teams must lead and be collaborative with business continuity and disaster recovery plans.
2. Inefficient Operations IT teams are responsible for ensuring that the company's technology infrastructure is operating efficiently. They are trained to identify and resolve issues that may be slowing down the company's operations. When business leaders ignore the advice of their IT teams, they may be allowing inefficiencies to persist, resulting in decreased productivity, increased costs, and reduced competitiveness.
It is also incumbent upon IT teams to understand the business operations and work with end users and management to create efficiencies, streamline operations, and when possible, save money.
3. Missed Opportunities IT teams are responsible for identifying and implementing new technologies that can improve the company's operations and competitiveness. When business leaders ignore the advice of their IT teams, they may be missing out on opportunities to adopt new technologies that could provide significant benefits to the company. This can result in lost opportunities for growth and innovation.
The story about the bank president and our founder is just one of hundreds that we have seen over the years. Nobody is perfect, and even our founder has made mistakes in his career. Only when keeping and open mind, collaborating, and evolving as people and businesses, will we all achieve something better. And yes, listening to your friendly neighborhood IT people will help your business tremendously.
Solvonex wants to be your partner in every step of your business to help you achieve great things. We are not just “the computer guys” as we offer decades of real-world experience that can be critical to keeping your business running smoothly. We want to sit at the table with your management team and understand your goals and dreams and be a trusted advisor and partner for helping you win. When companies listen to us and make us a real partner, Solvonex has a much greater chance of helping you achieve greatness.
Give us a shot, we will listen to you, you can listen to us, and then everybody wins! That’s the only way we want to do business.
Contact us now to find out more.
