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I've accidentally become the IT guy at my office. I could use some advice, tips, and help.

Enginerd
By Enginerd
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Go to solution Solved by WilliamsKnights,

I work in IT for a top Fortune 500 company with over 50,000 direct staff + thousands of consultants, agency and managed services employees etc.

 

I'm sure if the originator truly works for a Fortune 5000 company they will have a IT dept with many staff, however there will always be satellite offices where someone becomes the 'IT guy'.  Despite my companies size, we operate in most countries in the world so have some satellite offices with 5-50 staff. We have remote site assistance through IT and local support available through a third parties but there is often an 'IT Guy' that helps out.

 

There are circumstances where the issue can be fixed locally by the 'IT guy' instead of calling for support.

If a user has a laptop issue, Say screen rotated and users cannot remember the key combination to return to normal service. They call the local 'IT guy' instead of turning head and googling it.  A phone stops working and they need a new one connected and IP set. A cable needs replacing etc.. It's nmore efficient to have local IT guy perform the work than wait for corp IT to send someone out.

 

You would not expect the local 'IT Guy' to start swapping drives or things like this as a Fortune 500 company would get a vendor out for that. You have warranties and contracts  to consider. That being stated. If your office is having a monitor upgrade, A vendor may ship the monitors to the location and if a suitable proficient person is available ask them to install them. 

The local managers always under value (and sometimes resent) the corp IT so having someone local they can oversea is also a motivating factor.

 

 

Anyhow. Back to original question.

Generally from what I have seen over last 30+ years working in IT. Start off doing what you are comfortable with and develop your skills.

When you are not comfortable. Tell your manager and ask them to engage the wider corporate IT support. 

A good manager and company will not be negative. They are asking you to over reach your skills and should be responsive to when you push back.

Remember they are leveraging you to expedite something.

 

If you touch something that you are not comfortable with. you could cause a larger issue than if you did not. I have seen this countless times.

 

Failures are normal. I have always thought of these as the scars that make us better at what we do.

The important thing is to remember the failures, learn from them as these make you more valuable in your role.

Fail Fast and Fail Small.

 

Also. Make sure you are getting the remuneration you deserve. It will not come immediately as you normally have to prove yourself. But as you progress don't be afraid to push for what you deserve. If  this is a fortune 500 company. They will have annual reviews and role grades. Make sure you highlight the successes and ensure leadership see your value.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted

Long story short I work at a Fortune 500 that doesn't have an IT department. I'm working an interim position currently and secured a fulltime position once I finish my MET degree. The engineering manager I work under has been handling all of the IT issues in addition to managing the engineering and maintenance departments. He's taken me under his wing for some reason and wants me to take over IT in addition to working on my engineering projects and helping maintenance on the weekends.

 

I worked in bike shops and was a service manager at a skate shop before this position so maintenance is covered. My degree is in mechanical engineering so I'm a little better than mediocre at best but my problem is I know jack shit about IT. I used a freaking MacBook Pro during college and daily drive an iPad Pro. He knows I don't really know anything so this'll be fun. 

 

Right now our global headquarters is about 40 minutes from us and uses contractors when we need new hardware and admin passwords for software. I have a pretty good relationship with the 2 guys they send thankfully. One is fresh out college around my age and the other is a guy nearing the end of his career. The older one's advice was to get really familiar with the hardware on site, know how to troubleshoot them, and get good at dealing with people because it can get rough.   

 

Thank god I've been a long time casual viewer so I'm not completely naked in the dark. I've picked up on a few things here and there and can troubleshoot my own crap but now I'll be somewhat responsible for everyone at our site. The most I've ever done is put an SSD in an old MacBook Pro so if anyone has any recommendations on what to study and where I can find good resources I am all ears. 

 

It's a good thing Linus and co have a nice library of videos. I'm going to need all the help I can get.  

 

Thanks!

 

 

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6 minutes ago, Enginerd said:

The older one's advice

Spend as much time learning from him as you can when he's around. Single biggest tip I can give since I'm not in IT.

I'm not actually trying to be as grumpy as it seems.

I will find your mentions of Ikea or Gnome and I will /s post. 

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8 minutes ago, Enginerd said:

Long story short I work at a Fortune 500 that doesn't have an IT department. I'm working an interim position currently and secured a fulltime position once I finish my MET degree. The engineering manager I work under has been handling all of the IT issues in addition to managing the engineering and maintenance departments. He's taken me under his wing for some reason and wants me to take over IT in addition to working on my engineering projects and helping maintenance on the weekends.

 

I worked in bike shops and was a service manager at a skate shop before this position so maintenance is covered. My degree is in mechanical engineering so I'm a little better than mediocre at best but my problem is I know jack shit about IT. I used a freaking MacBook Pro during college and daily drive an iPad Pro. He knows I don't really know anything so this'll be fun. 

 

Right now our global headquarters is about 40 minutes from us and uses contractors when we need new hardware and admin passwords for software. I have a pretty good relationship with the 2 guys they send thankfully. One is fresh out college around my age and the other is a guy nearing the end of his career. The older one's advice was to get really familiar with the hardware on site, know how to troubleshoot them, and get good at dealing with people because it can get rough.   

 

Thank god I've been a long time casual viewer so I'm not completely naked in the dark. I've picked up on a few things here and there and can troubleshoot my own crap but now I'll be somewhat responsible for everyone at our site. The most I've ever done is put an SSD in an old MacBook Pro so if anyone has any recommendations on what to study and where I can find good resources I am all ears. 

 

It's a good thing Linus and co have a nice library of videos. I'm going to need all the help I can get.  

 

Thanks!

 

 

Honestly, push back against being the IT guy if you don't know about it. If they insist, then get very detailed job description in writing and reiterate that you are doing this against better judgement. A fortune 500 company should not be relying on un uneducated (in regards to IT) person to lead the IT stuff.

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1 hour ago, Enginerd said:

I have a pretty good relationship with the 2 guys they send thankfully. One is fresh out college around my age and the other is a guy nearing the end of his career. The older one's advice was to get really familiar with the hardware on site

Makes sense.

At this stage the only push back you need to give is that it isn't your area of expertise and it's entirely possible you will at some point say "we need external help for this, it's too far out of my scope", but considering you have guys you use already I can't see that being an issue. I've got mech-eng mates who have come to me for tech support/tips in the past, but as time goes by they've picked it up*, it's not really that hard, and having "local knowledge" goes a long way, even when you are just consulting with contractors.

 

*either that, or I sent them so wrong they don't come back and ask again 😛

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1 hour ago, IkeaGnome said:

Spend as much time learning from him as you can when he's around. Single biggest tip I can give since I'm not in IT.

This excellent advice for any career honestly. Nothing beats learning through other people. 

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There's an excellent talk that's available on you tube telling you what to do. It's geared more towards creative tasks but is still relevant to you. Search for "fuck you, pay me" and you'll find it.

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If you do end up becoming the local IT for your company:

  1. What the fu**ing hell, corporate, get your head out of your ass
  2. Don't bother trying to look for a "silver bullet" course, or anything like that. In IT, there are a bajillion different systems, and software, and...
    What truly matters, at the end of the day, is figuring out how your company is set up, what systems they're currently using and how they interact with each other. But you won't find manuals online for that so, as you've already been told, suck the brain out of that senior employee. Hang on to him for dear life.
  3. Hatred for your users will be the only thing that will bring you warmth and comfort in the coming months, or even years. Embrace the dark side. Let your hatred flow freely.
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48 minutes ago, Rauten said:
  1. Hatred for your users will be the only thing that will bring you warmth and comfort in the coming months, or even years. Embrace the dark side. Let your hatred flow freely.

Pretty much for every "suddenly an IT guy" as well.
Be it in corporate, or friend circle. 😂

But yea back to seriousness, I'd get comfy with networking stuffs, probably one of the most annoying thing when dealing with multiple PC & users who doesn't know jack crap about PC.

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Quote

I've accidentally become the IT guy at my office. I could use some advice, tips, and help.

If it's not actually your role, stop doing it. You're not getting paid extra to take on additional work, you admitted yourself that you don't really understand much about it. it's a recipe for disaster.

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Posted

F

 

Old guy's looking to retire, corporate wants someone to take over IT support so they don't have to call their MSP as much.

 

Watch out for passing buses, because you'll get thrown under one as soon as something goes catastrophically wrong.

I sold my soul for ProSupport.

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What an opportunity. They appear to know you are on a learning curve so anything lacking they should know about it and forgive it. A terrific learning opportunity.

Google can be your friend, use it. An information source I never had.

 

Tools (you mentioned having to fit an SSD), put together a good tool kit, a range of screwdrivers, pliers, etc. and make it your kit. It should be handy at home if you ever leave.

 

Be prepared to write check-lists, operation procedure lists, so people follow procedures. Always remember pilots use them all the time, every day so don't trust memory and never apologise for using one.

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In essence.

Gauge your boss, is he a considerate one or an arse.
If he's an arse, I'd say don't bother, at least not without an actual and/or really descriptive contract.

If he's a considerate one, still make sure he understand that it is not your actual forte, there will be mistakes.

In fact, make it clear that he should consider you a newb to tech.

 

Oh, don't forget proper bonus. IT guy work can be quite annoying & demanding sometimes.

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I'm guessing that guy figured "you're young, you know about this computer stuff, right?"

Should tell them straight up that you don't know much about it and likely wouldn't be able to solve the bigger issues. Otherwise this might come to bite you in the ass later if there's a server issue and you have no idea how to fix it.

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18 hours ago, Enginerd said:

I work at a Fortune 500 that doesn't have an IT department.

I refuse to believe this is true.

 

 

18 hours ago, Enginerd said:

I know jack shit about IT

Then I strongly advice you don't become the "IT guy". Maybe helping some people around the office with simple things is fine if you feel comfortable with it, but don't take on any real, serious IT projects.

 

 

18 hours ago, Enginerd said:

It's a good thing Linus and co have a nice library of videos. I'm going to need all the help I can get.  

I would stay away from Linus' videos if you are going to work in IT.

They are full of misinformation and bad advice that might cause serious issues. Their videos are not "how-to", they are almost exclusively "look at these clowns doing ridiculous stuff".

Good for entertainment, bad for learning (except maybe learning how to not do things).

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A company without qualified IT staff will be a mis-fortune 500 company soon....

 

It is amazing how may office people know nothing about computers. then the person who knows that there is a RAM module and a CPU will look like a knowledgeable person compared to everyone else

 

Now they may say it is OK that you don't have the knowledge. But once the entire network is down and no one can work for an hour (or a day?), they all will curse your name. Unless you are knowledgeable, you should not taken this responsibility. Or a ransomware attack will cost your company millions, and everyone will ask you why you didn't prevent that. 

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As with other commenters, I am appalled that there is no IT staff in house.  You absolutely need to get all the responsibilities in writing and have a complete understanding of how the IT system(s) is organized.  At my last job (retired in 2010) we had standard Dell desktops and laptops.  No hardware was ever repaired on site.  If something broke it was replaced.  Hardware was upgraded every 4-5 years.  You do NOT want to be doing any computer repair as part of this job.  The major work of our IT staff was systems maintenance.  IIRC, we contracted server back up with a third party rather than handle that in house.  Most of your work should center on network security as @Lurking notes above.  If the system goes down or gets infected, your job is on the line.

 

My advice based on what you have written, and I'm sure you don't want to hear this, is look for a new job better suited to your skill sets.  The learning curve to be a competent IT administrator takes knowledge and if that's the job you want to do, get the requisite training so this is not like jumping in the deep end without knowing how to swim.  Don't set yourself up for failure.

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17 hours ago, Enginerd said:

I work at a Fortune 500 that doesn't have an IT department.

No you don’t.


Smallest Fortune 500 company on the list still pulls over $6 billion in revenue. That’s absolutely impossible without an IT department.

 

Weird lying aside, don’t take on extra work responsibilities without added compensation, even if you’re working at a small company.

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1 hour ago, Roswell said:

No you don’t.


Smallest Fortune 500 company on the list still pulls over $6 billion in revenue. That’s absolutely impossible without an IT department.

 

Weird lying aside, don’t take on extra work responsibilities without added compensation, even if you’re working at a small company.

It might be miscommunication on OP's part.

My guess is that OP works at a franchise that is a Fortune 500 company, or some branch office, and that particular office does not have an on-site IT staff.

 

For example your local McDonald's is a "Fortune 500 company" but might not have a dedicated IT department in every single restaurant, yet they have an "IT guy" that does things like restart the PC when it crashes, or knows where the cash register should be connected. That sort of thing.

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4 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

For example your local McDonald's is a "Fortune 500 company"

It literally just occurred to me that someone working a summer job at McDonalds could technically say they're "spending the summer gaining experience at a Fortune 500 company".

 

Brilliant.

It's entirely possible that I misinterpreted/misread your topic and/or question. This happens more often than I care to admit. Apologies in advance.

 

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5 minutes ago, CT854 said:

It literally just occurred to me that someone working a summer job at McDonalds could technically say they're "spending the summer gaining experience at a Fortune 500 company".

 

Brilliant.

Not trying to bash OP, but I find that usually when people mention that they work for a "Fortune 500 company" without mentioning their title, they are trying to sound more important than they really are.

As I pointed out, McDonald's is a Fortune 500 company. The thing about big companies are that they employ a lot of people. It is not really rare to work at a "Fortune 500 company", but it sounds impressive.

 

What is impressive is having a high position at a Fortune 500 company. Like being the lead technical engineer for Uber's core infrastructure is an impressive job. Being an Uber driver is not. Both "work at a Fortune 500 company", but the former is vastly more impressive than the latter.

 

"I work at a Fortune 500 company" is quite a meaningless term if you don't specify what title or position you got within the company. The people who don't specify their title when they bring up the company they work for (or just that it is a big company) usually omit that detail for a reason.

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Yeah that seems like it might be a bad idea, I don't recommend that you take the position, as it could be problematic if you run into a situation you are not ready for.

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4 hours ago, LAwLz said:

I refuse to believe this is true.

You would be surprised at how many large companies don't have IT divisions, or how few there can be.  It can depend really.  Like the last place I worked, it was a 3 person team for all of Canada (managing roughly 100 locations, thousands of thin clients, and lots of employees).  We had to contract out to a lot of places locally, but there was never "budget" for us to expand the IT team.

 

It can also greatly depend on where the Fortune 500 company would be situated, because like my last example it was in the US so the US got the IT department but Canada didn't...but we were expected to still manage by ourselves.  So it could very well be a similar situation, you have your local MSP's that deal with a lot of the issues but also the "techy" person that can resolve the issues without going to the MSP (or can properly communicate with the MSP).

 

5 hours ago, LAwLz said:

Then I strongly advice you don't become the "IT guy". Maybe helping some people around the office with simple things is fine if you feel comfortable with it, but don't take on any real, serious IT projects.

Yea, I have a slightly similar advice but a bit different.  Depending how indepth it is, then it could actually be quite good in the sense of job security.  If it doesn't take up too much time, and you can navigate the MSP lingo then it can actually be quite good.  Best way to make yourself valuable at a company, be one of the few people who can do a job 😉

 

I do suspect that what is being referred to would be the simple things.  If it starts getting into software licenses and computer upgrades, then you might want to shy away from it (Seriously, MS CAL licenses and MS audits are the worst)

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There's pick up IT jobs that consist of just keeping users PCs working, replacing mice and keyboards and keyboards, and turning their caps lock off when it keeps locking them out of their account. 

 

That job is garbage and a train to nowhere. No one cares about CPUs and replacing HDs. Its the corporate version of burger flipping. PC hardware support is the lowest order job.

 

Then there's the pick up IT job of creating/disabling 365 accounts, dealing with app issues, doing patching, restarting a virtual server, etc. These are worth doing just for the experience.

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1 hour ago, LAwLz said:

It might be miscommunication on OP's part.

My guess is that OP works at a franchise that is a Fortune 500 company, or some branch office, and that particular office does not have an on-site IT staff.

 

For example your local McDonald's is a "Fortune 500 company" but might not have a dedicated IT department in every single restaurant, yet they have an "IT guy" that does things like restart the PC when it crashes, or knows where the cash register should be connected. That sort of thing.

Yeah that’s a valid point. The part where he mentions “engineering department” and “maintenance department” while lacking a single onsite tech got my spidy senses up.

 

I assume there’s a lot of exaggeration going on somewhere… there’s definitely at least remote or on-call IT support available if they’re claims are true.

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I spent the better part of 16 years in the salt mines of IT support.  All the way up from tier1 to sysadmin/tier2 and now just exiting tier3/ops support all together. I started with only a hobbyists knowledge of computers and part time jobs at computer shops. 

 

If you aren't cut out for IT support work, you'll know pretty quick.  Most new people burn out in a year or two from dealing with users and their problems. 

90% of dealing with users is trying to figure out what they mean vs what they say.  Remote desktop tools will save your sanity in this regard. 

 

Google/youtube will teach you everything you need/want to know.  Have the boss let you have an IT bench/lab to learn hands on. 

 

Above all else,  have a sound exit strategy.  IT support work will turn you into a miserable old curmudgeon like me in no time. 

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