“What happens if our IT guy quits?”

If you’ve ever had that thought, you’re not alone. In many businesses, there’s that one person who knows everything. The server passwords, the network quirks, the person to call at the software company. They are the keepers of your company’s digital keys.

But what happens when that knowledge exists only in their head?

We used to call this the “bus factor.” Today, it’s just as likely that your key employee might leave for a competitor, taking years of critical operational knowledge with them. When that happens, what should be a manageable transition quickly turns into a crisis. Suddenly, your business is scrambling to reconstruct essential information, facing disruptions that can take weeks or even months to resolve.

This isn’t a hypothetical problem. It’s a very real “near miss” that businesses face all the time. Your company is only as good as its documentation. Without it, you are dangerously fragile.

Why Does Good IT Documentation So Rarely Happen?

If documentation is so important, why is it often neglected? The reasons are usually rooted in human behavior and flawed business models.

1. The Job Security Myth: Some internal IT staff might avoid documenting processes to make themselves indispensable. A well documented system, in their eyes, makes it easier for management to replace an experienced, higher cost employee with someone cheaper. It’s a misguided strategy, but it happens.
2. Constant Firefighting: More often, the IT department is simply overworked and understaffed. They are so busy putting out fires and dealing with immediate issues that there is no time left for proactive work like documenting changes. This is a classic sign of misalignment between a business’s financial goals and IT best practices.
3. Misaligned Financials: Many companies are unwilling to pay outsourced IT providers for documentation time. The focus is on fixing the urgent problem right now, not investing in a comprehensive knowledge base for the future. This creates a situation where the IT firm isn’t incentivized to document things thoroughly.

When your IT infrastructure isn’t properly documented, your business is exposed to serious risks, including operational downtime, hidden security vulnerabilities, and a slow drain on efficiency.

What Are IT Documentation Best Practices?

Effective IT documentation is more than just a collection of notes in a Word document. It is a strategic practice that preserves the intellectual capital that drives your business forward. Here are some key best practices to ensure your documentation is secure, accessible, and comprehensive.

• Use a Specialized, Secure Tool: Implement a product designed specifically for documentation. This platform should be protected with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to ensure that your records are secure from unauthorized access but available to those who need them.
• Avoid Unsecured Storage: Storing sensitive information like passwords or network diagrams in a simple Word document on a server or in someone’s email folder is a huge mistake. These are prime targets for hackers. A single compromised account could give them the keys to your entire kingdom.
• Control Access Intelligently: Not everyone needs to see everything. Access to the full documentation should be limited to IT support staff. Privileged information, such as financial or compliance data, should be even more restricted. This protects sensitive information while ensuring it’s available for necessary job duties.
• Keep it Alive: Documentation is not a one-time task. It is a living process. As your technology and business needs evolve, your documentation must be updated regularly. Outdated information can be just as damaging as no information at all.

It’s An Investment, Not an Expense

Proper documentation is an investment in your business’s security, efficiency, and long term stability. It reduces downtime, helps your team work more effectively, and provides peace of mind. While it might seem like an extra cost upfront, it’s a strategic move that will save your company significant time, money, and stress down the road.

It aligns your business goals with your IT operations, ensuring your company remains resilient and ready for whatever comes next, whether it’s a new project or the departure of a key employee.

Questions to Ask Your IT Provider Today

Ensuring your IT provider follows best practices for documentation is crucial. Here are some key questions from Near Miss to get the conversation started:

1. How do you store my network credentials and other vital IT support information?
2. Who has access to this information?
3. What measures are in place to ensure our documentation is kept up to date?
4. How is our documentation protected from unauthorized access?

Don’t wait for a crisis to find out how fragile your business really is. Start the conversation today.

---

This post is adapted from concepts in the book Near Miss: Preventable IT Failures Threatening Your Business Security. Get your copy to learn more about identifying and fixing the hidden risks in your IT environment.