Heaven on Earth would be a world with no outages. No slow load times. No failed switches or routers. No bandwidth issues. Just peace and quiet. But if nothing were to go wrong on a daily basis, what would IT pros spend their time doing? Outages make up a large part of an IT pro’s job. Monitoring networks and finding the source of outages can be time-consuming and take away effort from other tasks. While there’s no one correct way to use extra time, I have a few suggestions on how IT pros could make the most of a world without outages.
Security
The first thing a company might do with their free time is prepare for a day without free time. This means finding solutions for future issues and amplifying security in unprotected areas. Times of uncertainty will eventually come, so it’s best to be as well prepared as possible. Implementing security to monitor current software and alert on potential issues can make days without outages more of a possibility. Reviewing file permissions or checking how many service accounts are in use or when passwords were last updated can help prevent security breaches. Performing regular
network scans during downtime can also help clean up an organization’s security. This could also mean finding unused areas that may not need as much protection and reallocating those resources to an area at risk.
Optimization
Optimizing an infrastructure can be another way for IT pros to take full advantage of free time when they’re not firefighting. More hands-on tasks like cable sorting can be a great way to optimize a workspace. Creating an application inventory could also allow an organization to review hundreds of applications and decide if they’re all necessary, see who’s using them and how often, and review licenses to see if they need to be renewed or can be removed or consolidated. Performing these tasks can help streamline an infrastructure and remove unnecessary accounts.
Go Back to School
No, not literally, because nobody misses tuition or dorm living, but learning a new task or software during free time couldn’t hurt. Studying and learning new things such as software updates or upcoming products can allow IT pros to familiarize themselves with the unknown, so they’re prepared when the time comes. IT pros could spend time diving deeper into a topic or learning a completely new topic to help enhance their organization. This can also be a good time to learn new soft skills, which can sometimes be swept under the rug. Taking time to enhance personal work ethic or practice team building can work wonders for a company.
A Little R&R
This one may come as a shocker to some, especially the workaholics, but a world without anything to fix can be the perfect time to rest. Giving 150% of effort every day can be a straight shot to burnout. Cat videos and coffee breaks throughout the day can be a great way to unwind and recharge. Take a few minutes to relax and enjoy your freshly sorted cables; you never know when the next audit is right around the corner.
