Explaining the reasons why solo IT staff quit and countermeasures to solve that issue! Efficiently relieving the heavy workload of small and medium-sized enterprises
Have you ever heard of the term “one-person IT system”?
One-person IT system refers to a situation where a company has only one information systems person or system engineer (SE), or only a small number of people.
In this situation, the workload falls on one person, which can prevent the IT system person from concentrating on their main job or make them feel distressed, and in the worst case scenario, they may quit the company.
However, we think that many small businesses and SMEs have no choice but to create a situation where they is only one IT staff.
There are various issues, such as a lack of human resources, a lack of funds, and an aging office.
In this article, we will explain in detail the causes and countermeasures for the problem of having only one IT staff member in small businesses and SMEs.
Published on 2024/04/19 Updated 2025/03/18 This article can be read in 3 minutes.
Reasons why IT staff quit
Too much work volume
Solo IT staff are responsible for a wide range of tasks, and the heavy burden can be the cause.
・Server maintenance
・PC repair
・Data confirmation, etc.
There are many other tasks.
We think there are many IT staff who do all of these tasks by themselves.
They may find it difficult to endure the many tasks and quit their jobs.
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The amount of miscellaneous tasks has increased so much that they can’t concentrate on their main job.
Many information systems personnel at small businesses and SMEs not only work as systems engineers, but also have sales or customer service roles as their main occupation.
Furthermore, we often see people lecturing on how to use Excel or Word because they are good with computers, wasting their time on miscellaneous tasks unrelated to their main occupation.
We feel that people who are in charge of systems despite having a main occupation may lose motivation in working in difficult conditions and may quit their jobs if the amount of system work they are doing exceeds their main occupation.
Poor treatment
As the name suggests, a solo IT administrator is able to be in charge of a variety of systems by themselves.
For this reason, there is a risk that they will quit if they find a company that treats them better than their own or that allows them to work in a better environment.
Also, because systems is a behind-the-scenes job, their efforts may not be visible.
In such cases, they may not be properly evaluated, which can lower their motivation and lead to them quitting.
If the above situation continues, it is likely that solo IT staff or IT staff working with a small number of people will find it difficult and quit.
What happens when solo IT staff or IT staff quits
No longer able to handle IT infrastructure and systems
Solo IT staff or IT staff are often responsible for the entire company’s IT infrastructure and systems.
Therefore, if an information systems manager leaves a company, computers break down, or the server goes out of control, it may not be possible to carry out business operations.
If business operations are no longer able to proceed, it is not just your own company that will be affected.
In fact, the impact on your own company may be small, as it will only have to stop operating.
It is your business partners that will be most affected.
If there are delays in receipts or deliveries to your business partners, in the worst case scenario, you may lose the trust of your business partners.
Therefore, the problem of one-person IT staff needs to be addressed immediately.
Security measures issue
Since IT staff are knowledgeable about computers and servers, losing them will lead to a decrease in the company’s security.
Security will always need to be addressed even if there is no IT staff member, so it is important to implement security measures that can be implemented even when there is no IT staff member, such as by moving servers to the cloud.
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You need to find a replacement
If it’s just a computer malfunction, you may be able to handle it with just the people in the company, but when it comes to system-related or server issues, you need someone with knowledge to handle it.
When that happens, you’ll need to hire a replacement from outside, and we think this hiring is the most difficult part.
In particular, for small businesses and SMEs in rural areas, the declining population in the area may mean that no one will apply even if they advertise for a position, or there may not even be an IT system staff member in the town in the first place.
If it seems difficult to recruit, one solution is to find a way of working that does not cause problems even if there is no IT staff member, or making things easier for the IT system staff.
For example, eliminating servers that were installed to allow multiple people to use accounting software or sales management software, and instead handling the software on the cloud, etc.
With the cloud, multiple people can use accounting and sales management software even if there is no system manager, and the cloud provider handles the previously troublesome task of adding users.
Using methods like this to streamline operations may encourage the sole IT manager or information systems manager to stay with the company rather than quitting.
What to do if the sole IT manager quits or is about to quit
Reduce the workload
First, let us review the work of a solo IT manager or information systems officer.
We think that IT managers mainly handle system-related tasks and server management, but in the case of a solo IT manager, in most cases they also have to do a lot of miscellaneous tasks such as repairing computers and explaining how to use Excel.
Therefore, by first freeing them from these miscellaneous tasks, the likelihood of them quitting will be lower.
Recently, with the development of technology, the accuracy of “automated generation AI” has become very high, so by relying on AI, we can reduce the burden on single IT staff and information system personnel.
Let us reduce the workload of IT staff throughout the company and create a better office environment.
Review the evaluation
While single IT staff and information system personnel have a large workload per person, they often do tasks that seem easy at first glance, so they are often not properly evaluated.
If miscellaneous tasks pile up, it will become a big burden, so if there are issues that cannot be solved by AI, it may be necessary to reevaluate the evaluation of the one-person IT staff or information system staff and find a way to keep them in the company.
Incorporate the cloud
Some people may think of the cloud as a storage service, but by utilizing the cloud, it is possible to reduce the workload of one-person IT staff or information system staff.
For example, if a server that was introduced to allow multiple people to use accounting software or sales management software is migrated to the cloud, the single IT or information systems person will no longer need to manage the server, and if that single IT or information systems person also handles sales concurrently, server errors will no longer occur even when the person is out on sales, allowing them to focus on sales.
Further merits of the cloud include the following:
- Services can be used anywhere as long as there is an internet connection
- Leads to security measures
- Leads to cost reductions
- Information sharing becomes easier…etc.
By introducing the cloud, you can improve the work efficiency of not only one IT or information system staff, but the entire company.
For more information on the merits of the cloud, please see this article.
➤Comparison between cloud and on-premise
➤What is cloud computing?
Lastly
A single IT manager or information system manager is essential for the growth of a company. Therefore, if they are burdened too much, they will feel distressed and may quit. To prevent this from happening, let’s use AI and cloud computing to distribute the burden and solve the problem in a way that will not lead to a single IT manager quitting. We also provide a service that allows you to migrate your accounting and sales management software directly to the cloud. Because you can migrate your accounting and sales management software directly to the cloud, unlike when using freee or Money Forward, you can continue to use the accounting and sales management software you are familiar with, so there is no need to learn how to operate the accounting and sales management software, and you can smoothly incorporate the cloud into your work. Prices start from JPY 19,300 per user per month, so if you are interested, please visit the applippli Cloud website. |
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■Company profile Company name: applippli Co., Ltd. Address: 875-2 Yamano, Kama City, Fukuoka Prefecture, 820-0202 Business: Cloud conversion of Yayoi products, module design and development, app development, app rental,System integrator, core system implementation and maintenance Phone number: 0948-42-1570 |