Business today is getting faster and one of the key areas to support growth and to stay ahead of the competition is the correct use of IT and Technology.

When you work within an IT department there is a lot of pressure on ensuring the business’s IT and infrastructure is at the forefront, supporting the business progress all whilst keeping users online and productive.

IT & Technology within the Nuclear Sector can be a busy space to work in…

Take the pressures of an IT department in a fast-growing business, the pressures are amplified within the Nuclear Sector. With the pace of the industry, the complex user requirements and security concerns this all compounds and can make the role of ‘IT’ hectic and overwhelming.

The Problem…

The role of ‘IT’ within the Nuclear sector becomes a balancing act of keeping systems updated, implementing the latest technology all whilst carrying out the day-to-day fire fighting that comes along with working within an internal IT department.

Most IT teams set off with a ‘Pro-active’ approach when it comes to IT delivery & maintenance but can often fall into a ‘Re-active’ state with system issues, user demands & vendor management.

A re-active state can cause many problems, some include:

• Never being able to ‘turn off’ and always being ‘on-call’
• Not being able to review and test the latest Technology
• Falling behind on patching and updates
• Failed or delayed IT Projects
• Delay’s on migration plans
• Unable to keep up with documentation
• Over stretched resources and skillsets
• Having an ever increasing TO DO list that causes stress

x5 Tips to help IT Teams within the Nuclear & Engineering sectors become more Productive

When it comes to improving your productivity, the efficiently of your department and supporting company growth, technology is your friend.

Here are some Technologies & best practices that can help boost productivity:

• Outsource – Work with a partner
  The role of an IT Manager or internal IT team shouldn’t be the limit of your team. No one person can expect to know everything, be available 24/7 or be at a high level of the majority of technologies. You will see massive improvements in progress, productivity and team confidence when you work with a Managed service provider and extend your team into them. You will have access to more resources, skill sets, project support and re-active support when you really need it.

• Leverage Vendors
  Companies often buy a service or product from a vendor and then never talk to that vendor. This is where resources and skills are getting missed out on. Many vendors will provide an element of free consultancy, support and often have training programs that you and your team can take advantage of.
  

• Stay ahead
  A lot of companies think that ‘sweating their assets’ is a good cost saving strategy. In some areas maybe, but when it comes to IT and Technology this can be counter-productive. Technology moves so quickly, that you should plan an IT road map to ensure you are following the latest technology trends. This will often help with reduced support needed on old Technology, more features and often more automation to support your workload.
  

• Office 365 – Leverage Microsoft Tools
  More and more companies are moving to Office 365 but often only using 20% of the functionality. Microsoft call Office 365 their ‘Productivity suite’ – This is because they have a plethora of apps, tools and communication tools to improve the efficiently of your team. Take advantage!
  

• Cloud - Hosted Apps / Desktops
  With the increase in ‘Cloud’ Technologies and security, ALL companies should now be taking advantage of hosted desktop or applications. This will give you and your team faster access to your key applications and data, allow you to work and communicate from anywhere and will give you control over your teams’ activities. Taking this further, hosted desktops/Apps can improve productivity across the entire company for all departments.

Want to improve Productivity for yourself and your team?

If you want to be more productive within your team or discuss any of the areas covered in this blog, please get in touch or tweet @yellowbusteam