A New Beginning
Imagine you are browsing your favorite bookstore when your mentor from years ago recognizes you and says hello. How are you? What are you doing now? How is the family?
Then she tells you that she is doing great and was going to email you because she needs your help. It turns out she has recently received abundant funding for a startup and needs someone for the Operations side, and thought of you. You will be employee #20 and the only techie so far. Your salary will not be a problem, and when can you start?
What will you need? What policies and procedures will you implement? Here is the outline, as I see it. Each of these points will be covered in a post over then next weeks and months. Am I missing something? What would you do differently? Tell me in the comments – I’ll add your suggestions to the list.
Software
- Inventory – You cannot manage the unknown. What do you have, and where have you put it?
- Telephone – The most basic link to your customers and your coworkers.
- Domains – Lay claim to your brand.
- Access – Become a node on the internet.
- Networks – Divide the external from the internal.
- Imaging – How do you install your OS?
- Access – Safe and secure shell access to your machines.
- Software Installation – How do you turn that generic system into the right tool for the job?
- Time – Does anyone really care what time it is?
- Backup – Keep your information at your fingertips.
- DNS – The domain name service
- Messaging – Email and IM are the “Memorandum” and “While You Were Out Message” of modern business.
- Documentation – The most hated, and most necessary, part of the techie department.
- Managing requests – Track and execute the tasks you perform for your customers.
Policies
- Moratorium – Limit changes during dangerous hours.
- OTJ Training
