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Getting the right IT is just the first step. Appropriate training, policies and working practices can help you maximise return on your IT investment.
Having a clear set of IT policies will help your business make effective use of IT. Additionally, it can protect your company from legal problems, security risks and unnecessary costs.
The main reasons for establishing a set of IT policies are:
The exact areas your IT policies should cover will depend on the nature of your business and how you use IT. For instance, if you allow homeworking, you will need a policy to explain when it is permitted and how it works in practice.
Most businesses have IT policies covering a few common areas:
It's a good idea to create several policies rather cramming everything into one big IT policy. Each should be a usable document which staff can read, understand and put into practice.
If you're creating or updating an IT policy, try to involve everyone who might be affected by it. This enables you to build support for the policy amongst your staff, ensuring the new policy is usable and effective once you put it in place.
You could start by holding a meeting about the policy, or inviting comments on a first draft.
Make sure each IT policy reflects how your business actually operates. Preparing formal policies can be a good opportunity to review whether you should change how you do things.
There's no point, for instance, in creating a super-cautious security policy if your staff are likely to circumvent or ignore it in order to do their jobs. In this case, your goal should be to build a secure environment without being overly restrictive.
You may wish to seek advice from legal and HR professionals when preparing your IT policy, particularly when dealing with areas covered by legislation, like data protection or employment law.
If you're introducing a new computer policy, it's not enough to send it to your staff and assume they will take notice. Policies can be ignored for lots of reasons - many of them innocent or well-meaning - as well as being misinterpreted or simply forgotten.
To communicate a new policy, run training sessions to explain its implications. Your employees need to understand why each IT policy exists, as well as what it says.
Use practical examples and consider checking employees' understanding of your policies. Train up new-starters and get staff to sign to confirm they have read and understand all your policies.
Review each IT policy regularly to ensure it still fits with your business. Encourage staff to report issues. Are policies creating barriers to getting work done? Are they being followed correctly?