On September 27, join NCET and Aaron Boigon, SVP Director of IT at Plumas Bank, as he delves into the ins and outs of managing Information Technology (IT) in your business.
This presentation aims to provide some practical information you can use immediately to start managing IT better. And while this discussion won't solve all your IT problems, it will give you a couple takeaways that will be immensely helpful.
Attendees will learn about:
1. Cybersecurity
2. Making significant IT purchases
3. The Cloud
4. Outsourcing
5. Efficient Operations
2. Bio
• Aaron Boigon, SVP Director of IT for Plumas Bank
• 25 years experience as IT professional, business owner,
consultant, and manager
• Advise numerous businesses and non-profits as part of
my personal mission to evangelize a common-sense
approach to IT management
• Stand-up comedy, philosophy, history, linguistics,
anthropology, and creative writing
3. What we’ll cover…
• 5 Lessons of Essential IT Management
• Cybersecurity
• Outsourcing
• Efficiency
• Build it vs. buy it
• IT planning and budgeting
• How and why to share this information with others.
8. Lesson 1: Cybersecurity
Moral of the story:
• Sick with a virus? Get a second opinion.
• Sew on a patch to fix your breeches, install a patch to fix
your breaches.
• News flash! This a crappy password: f@ll2017!
• The 7th Sense: I see dead people…login to my computer.
• Browsing the web is like walking in New York City.
• Being backed up every night is awful, unless we’re talking
about data.
9.
10. Lesson 2: Outsourcing & Cloud
Can we do this ourselves?
Should we do this ourselves?
11. Lesson 2: Outsourcing & Cloud
Begins with asking the right questions:
• What’s the billing model?
• What services are provided?
• Which services are proactive vs. reactive?
• What’s the expertise of the staff?
• Do they outsource key services?
• What are their response times?
• Are they licensed/insured?
• What industries do they serve?
12. Lesson 2: Outsourcing & Cloud
Moral of the story:
If you can’t support it, have someone else do it…as long as
it isn’t your brother’s best-friend’s mother’s grandpa’s
cousin’s dog’s owner’s nephew.
14. Lesson 3: Efficiency
Old school modes and tools still make up 75% of all
business communication.
• Look for low-hanging fruit
• Manual processes
• Human analog to digital converters
• Dual screens and chat
• Get formal training
• On-the-job training – you learn what everyone else in your job
already knows
• Formal training – fills in the gaps and teaches you what you don’t
know
15. Lesson 3: Efficiency
Moral of the story:
Why can’t we all just get along? Technology enables
collaboration, and human interaction is the heart of human
enterprise…but I didn’t say it’s Paradise.
16. Lesson 4: Build it or buy it?
We have a problem to solve.
Should we build a solution, or buy one?
Answer: It’s all about total cost of ownership (TCO)
• You make it, you maintain it, you upgrade it, you
troubleshoot it.
• You own it forever.
Measure: Does it contribute to the bottom line?
17. Lesson 4: Build it or buy it?
Moral of the story:
Unless your name rhymes with “Neon Husk” or “Baloney
Spark” you probably shouldn’t build it. But if you build it,
you should be selling it.
18. Lesson 5: Plan and budget
Link your business plan to your technology.
The plan and budget is where rubber meets the road.
Budget elements (think upgrades, growth, capacity)
• Staffing – in-house, outsource, recruiting
• Software – licensing, subscriptions, support
• Hardware – servers, laptops, networking, support
• Projects – have their own budgets
19. Lesson 5: Plan and budget
Moral of the story:
Cars need oil, humans need sriracha, technology requires
maintenance. Plan ahead so you’re not paying more when
it breaks. Sure, get competitive bids to keep your sources
honest…but don’t be a maverick and ignore what your
support folks are offering.
21. Thank you. Now go forth and evangelize!
The 5 lessons we covered:
• Cybersecurity
• Outsourcing
• Efficiency
• Build it vs. buy it
• IT planning and budgeting
Share the morals of each story with coworkers, groups,
customers, and family members.
Thank you!!