5 Key items for your churches IT
I have worked in church IT since the beginning of my IT career. First it was because I was the young guy and I knew a thing or two and then it was my profession.
There have been many instances of frustrations out of this type of support. I want to give church leaders a taste of how to alleviate issues in IT while not destroying the budget.
5 Key items for your churches IT
1. Cheap is not better
Do you have an IT pro in your congregation? If so consult with them long before you buy anything. Many leaders will go to a big box store and get a new computer that is cheap and then talk to the IT pro. Generally the issue with the item you bought is that the item is not capable of what you need it to do.
2. You need to budget for IT
I'm sorry it is not 2001 anymore. Computers are here for good and we need them for everything. When it comes to church work we need computers. Many churches now have dozens of computers running during the services. One break down, one failure during service can be very distracting. You can no longer run that Windows XP computer for your power point computer.
3. Free software , you get what you pay for
This is similar to the first point however it needs to be said. Free anti virus, free word processing, free accounting software, all works sometimes. I hear the words said often "It works for us" . How many failures have you had with those free items? How well is the anti virus protecting your information? It is highly recommended these days to use paid software in what we call in IT production environments. Paid software is supported and is updated often removing bugs from the software. Free software is used to market a company not provide a service.
4. You need an IT plan
To often I see several computers in a church where no one knows what the passwords are to accounts and the guy or gal who set it up is long gone. You need a plan. What accounts do you have, what are the passwords. These need to be in the possession of the Pastor or the Administrative Assistant or your committed IT person, maybe all three. Next what computers and tablets, do you have write them down, when do they need replaced or updated? What software do you have when does it need updated?
5. Be wise and gentle
Matthew 10:16 says to be as wise as a serpent and as gentle as a dove. Jesus said this to his disciples as he sent them out to evangelize. I believe we can apply this principle to our church and congregations IT. We must use our computers wisely, as we are called to be good stewards of God's people and the computers He blesses us with. Secondly we need to be gentle, don't be to hasty to change out equipment, find an IT company with good reputation,consult with them. IT is one of the fastest growing fields in the US, there is likely a pro right in your congregation.
In the event that you do not have an IT company I own DataCom Technologies. We can provide service to your church no matter your location. Go to our website www.datacomtechnologies.net for more information.
There have been many instances of frustrations out of this type of support. I want to give church leaders a taste of how to alleviate issues in IT while not destroying the budget.
5 Key items for your churches IT
1. Cheap is not better
Do you have an IT pro in your congregation? If so consult with them long before you buy anything. Many leaders will go to a big box store and get a new computer that is cheap and then talk to the IT pro. Generally the issue with the item you bought is that the item is not capable of what you need it to do.
2. You need to budget for IT
I'm sorry it is not 2001 anymore. Computers are here for good and we need them for everything. When it comes to church work we need computers. Many churches now have dozens of computers running during the services. One break down, one failure during service can be very distracting. You can no longer run that Windows XP computer for your power point computer.
3. Free software , you get what you pay for
This is similar to the first point however it needs to be said. Free anti virus, free word processing, free accounting software, all works sometimes. I hear the words said often "It works for us" . How many failures have you had with those free items? How well is the anti virus protecting your information? It is highly recommended these days to use paid software in what we call in IT production environments. Paid software is supported and is updated often removing bugs from the software. Free software is used to market a company not provide a service.
4. You need an IT plan
To often I see several computers in a church where no one knows what the passwords are to accounts and the guy or gal who set it up is long gone. You need a plan. What accounts do you have, what are the passwords. These need to be in the possession of the Pastor or the Administrative Assistant or your committed IT person, maybe all three. Next what computers and tablets, do you have write them down, when do they need replaced or updated? What software do you have when does it need updated?
5. Be wise and gentle
Matthew 10:16 says to be as wise as a serpent and as gentle as a dove. Jesus said this to his disciples as he sent them out to evangelize. I believe we can apply this principle to our church and congregations IT. We must use our computers wisely, as we are called to be good stewards of God's people and the computers He blesses us with. Secondly we need to be gentle, don't be to hasty to change out equipment, find an IT company with good reputation,consult with them. IT is one of the fastest growing fields in the US, there is likely a pro right in your congregation.
In the event that you do not have an IT company I own DataCom Technologies. We can provide service to your church no matter your location. Go to our website www.datacomtechnologies.net for more information.
Comments
Post a Comment