“We rehired one of our retired employees, but we don’t really have an SLA and I need to maintain emergency support.”
This statement keeps coming up in conversations with prospects and current clients. A key employee retires, gets headhunted, or goes freelance leaving your business up the creek!
So what do you do?
Your options are:
Keep things the way they are (and put your company at risk)
Hire a new FTE (is there even 40 hours / week of work to do?)
Hire another part timer / freelancer (running into the same problem)
OR
Hire a Managed Services / Outsourced IT Firm that has the skillsets you are looking for.
The most common skill that is rehired is simple business knowledge. A good Managed Database Services firm can assist with the building and upkeep of proper runbooks, ensuring business continuity regardless of turnover.
After that essential service, you need a depth and breadth of knowledge of the technical sense. Very often the key is in some form of legacy application architecture. Keep an old SQL 2002 system running that is core to your business process, or managing a complex excel spreadsheet. More and more the issue seems to be maintaining SSIS reporting systems.
Whatever the case may be, you need to find a managed services provider that can handle all of those technologies at an expert level.
This brings us to the next concept:
Do I want 1 generalist freelance database consultant / IT Consultant or do I want a team of expert specialists?
Anyone *can* write an SSIS report. But should they?
Anyone *can* write application architecture. But should they?
Only you can make the business decisions that are best for your company. When considering different outsourced IT providers or interviewing IT consultants make sure the skillsets that are required to run your business will be present and available, with the level of expertise you desire.
Good luck!
