Frequently hanging computers, ordinary important and confidential information, and virus-infected software… Information technologies (IT) specialists claims that these are the main problems encountered by those companies that improperly maintain their IT facilities or do not maintain them at all.

According to the data of Blue Bridge Bond, an IT systems maintenance and management services provider, most of Lithuanian small and medium-sized businesses run into IT security problems. Unlike big companies, which have IT departments of their own, smaller-sized enterprises seldom invest in the improvement of their IT personnel qualifications. This is the cause of the problems because one specialist cannot be a jack-of-all-trades and to know the ropes of all IT fields that support the company’s business processes.

The user as the weakest link

However, no matter who and how maintains and administers the company’s IT facilities, one of the most vulnerable security links is the computer user himself. According to Arturas Sriupsa, the Director of Blue Bridge Bond, employees would like to master their company computers as their own: to use simple passwords, do not bother to update them and even to share them with colleagues, to install programs that are not necessary for performing their job functions, and to save documents anywhere, often running the risk of losing them. Such practices result in higher risk of failures of the systems, expose to direct danger the security of the company’s documents and sometimes even its business continuity, and impair the productivities of employees.

Often driven only by curiosity, people open various attractively named files and activate internet links they receive by e-mail. Such seemingly innocent actions may sometimes cause failures in operations of more than just one computer or loss of the accumulated data.

“In company computers, we especially often find a lot of software installed by employees themselves when they once needed to perform some specific task, which often happens to be of private nature. Every program additionally installed in a computer impairs its speed; therefore, even new computers ‘puff like old men’ as soon as in a year. One should also remember that the company is liable for the legality of the software installed in its computers, while this fact is not always taken into account by employees,” A. Sriupsa states.

Standardised IT facilities cost less

No doubt that IT make a company’s operations faster and more effective; on the other hand, improperly management of IT facilities may not only reduce the productivity of employees, but also affect the company’s incomes. According to the Director of Blue Bridge Bond, company managers have to clearly define the procedures for the use of office computers as well as the rights and duties of company computer users.

According to the specialist, the more the IT facilities are standardised, the easier their maintenance and administration is, which predetermines lower costs for the company in the IT budget line. Furthermore, the efficiency of every employee and the company as a whole improves. This can be accomplished by establishing the company’s IT administration and management policies and making some of their provisions an integral part of the internal work procedures.

“Also, we notice already now an increase in the number of Lithuanian companies seeking to cut costs for the maintenance of their IT facilities and therefore entrusting it to service providers who are professionals in this field. In future, this practice is to be applied by more and more companies”, A. Sriupsa says.