I am a complete newb!

Can you tell us what kinds of things you'll be handling? Setting up servers, adding new printers, installing new machines, patches, software? What does the contract with the local company cover?

And...I hope they're going to pay you more for doing more work!

Look into classes at your local college or other training centers. I'd also suggest looking into taking a Network+ training course or buying some Network+ books, as to what books I'm not sure. I'm kind of in a hurry to get back to work. Also you may want to look into MCSA or MCSE courses or books.

If i can do it anybody can. Its easy, if something seems difficult then it just hasnt been explained properly. ALWAYS say if you dont understand something and be prepared to put some effort in, reading up from good books.

Great suggestions here but let me also point out a couple of matters to consider. At times you may be consumed with your IT duties. You indicated that you have already been working a bit of overtime in your current position. Will you be able to give 100% to both positions? Or, are you expected to maintain the office system after hours? IT professionals have trained for years and their jobs may ?look? easy to the untrained eye. You also mentioned the possible addition of an in-house website. Will you be expected to give 100% to 3 positions? You may want to bring a cot to work. Perhaps the President just sees the bill and doesn?t really know what he is getting for his dollar. I would also be concerned about the corner cutting he is suggesting (is the company suffering financially?).

First thing- Be prepared for alot of things. Yes you are new, however alot of on the job training will come. I would learn where everything is. I mean switches, whas on them, what servers are where. Inventory everthing know what machines are where name wise. Some basic house keeping inventory,knw the types of hardware. Why, when it come to up grading you know what machines are where and support wise.

Also, maybe pick up a good admin book. KNow how to do permissions, share drives, server admin and people admin of accounts.
Write all admin passwords down. Learn how the back ups are done, incase you do them onsite.
this is just a few things of a small company admin. Been doing this 18 yrs now, IT can be fun and challenging to people.
good luck.

hi about 3 years ago i would of said i was a complete newb as i was basically given complete control of a 2000 domain with 40 pcs and 100 users 3 servers over 3 sites on the word that my friend told the owner of the companie that i was genuis and would have there network runnig betrer than ever in 2 days what an idoit.
The first thing i did was went throught the servers with a fine tooth comb writting all setting and all properties donw so if i was to change anything i could always go back. i then read a tcp/ip book from cover to cover and back again then dailey read through event logs looking online to understand all the errors. then day by day you will get a good idea on how excatly the system runs.
once you know excactly how ever thing works you can then make it better by r&d.
3 years later i just implment a new 2003 domain with just two servers and impltemted a full voip solution accross the whole enterpise witch i know 2 sites bigger than before.

good luck

back up and look at the whole network. Document everything from the name of your servers down to the OS's, etc. There isnt much to supporting 2 servers and 20 pc's. Just get to know your equipment.

So far I've had a replace the motherboard in one servers, rebuilt a D size plotter and replace a couple of power supplies and install some video cards. I also figured out how to setup users for the domains, permissions, and other basic network admin task. My next task will be to get some books on Windows 2003 SBS. Thanks for the reponses.

I've been in IT since 1970 and I'm still learning. It just gets increasingly more complex and business becomes ever more dependent on the computer.

1. Make sure that your anti-virus software is licensed and up to date on al of the machines.
2. Make sure that your data is backed up and that you know how to recover it.
3. Make time to go on a basic system administrator's course and cultivate a local technician to help you over the sticky problems.

Read up on Murphy's Law.

First- welcome to the club. To an extent, we are all "newbs"- technology changes constantly and we are all in a constant state of learning. Twenty years later, I still feel like a newb.

There have been some good suggestions made. I would like to add one more. Since this work is not your skill set, make sure that the additional duties are documented and then "grade" yourself on your knowledge level of each skill. Share this report card with your boss and possibly HR. Before your next review, "grade" yourself again.

Find a SIG in your area and attend meetings. Generally they are networking sessions and you will find others in your area that can give you direction- and possibly give you phone support if you run into something that baffles you.

Google is your friend. Generally you can Google an error message to get additional information. I Google anything- including part numbers. What I find is often direction to solving the problem in front of me.

Post here. If you do, make sure your post gets into the right section. Give as much information as you possibly can. Folks here will help you do just about anything but break a password.

Good luck!

The number of systems you describe is more than adequate to demand the services of someone who is trained to do IT work. It is definitely not as easy as it looks. Whether it is your employers intent or not, the likelihood of failure is very high.

I've been in software development nearly 27 years now. Part of that is network coding at the sockets and TCP/IP level in C and C++ - which means that I have some understanding of how networks are set up, and how they operate. I can set up workstations, servers, printers, etc., and have them function as needed. However, for every one thing that I know, I've come to realize that there are about a 100 things I don't. And it is very true that not knowing in this day of viruses, spyware, and the like can literally kill your network and/or systems. (Are you prepared to have any sensitive DBs accessed, bots planted, etc.? If that happens, would you know what to do?)

IT is NOT a hobby or part time job, even for a company with as few as 20 systems. It is a career and it takes a great deal of study, discipline - and intuition. If you're intent on following this path (and it's a good path!), then you will need to take several courses over the next many months.

And, then, if your are successful, you'll be on call 24 hours/day. (Networks and their systems have no concept of the 9-5 work day.)

I share your employer's frustration with out-sourced IT - that "solution" is problematic at best. However, this very well may be a case of "out of the frying pan into the fire" without proper training and tutoring.

I would suggest that if you have not already, get the passwords to everything. Know how to log in to everything & document how you did it. It sound like you should do this before you pull the plug on the help.

Second, I highly recommend you learn and take over your phone system; at least basic admin. This is part of IT even if some disagree.

It sound like you need to upgrade your network. Networking is not that hard and it would be to your advantage to know how to run & terminate wires, replace a hub with a switch & so on.

Take some classes on website design like XHTML & JavaScript if you plan to take over the website. It looks easy but that don't make it right.

None of this is hard, but it takes time.

What an outstanding opportunity this is for you! There are so many people who would love to be in your position!

YOU CAN DO IT

You sound like you're pretty new to computers and networks and they intimidate you a bit. Know that IT is just another engineering discipline to learn.

YOU ARE NOT THAT FAR BEHIND

As Tigger pointed out, everyone in IT is not that many years ahead of you. IT changes dramatically every year or two. If you went away for even just 5 years, you would come back and feel a little lost.

DUMMIES BOOKS

When you want to learn something new regarding PCs, networks, or IT, it is hard to go wrong by starting with one of the "For Dummies" books (1). I've been in IT for more decades than I care to admit and I still buy and read these books (Mae...this is your cue :-) ). These books are not really for dummies. They are for smart people (like yourself) who want to learn something new quickly. I suggest you buy them on amazon.com. They have a lot in stock, have good prices, and ship quickly.

EPILOGUE

Good luck to you. TR is a great place to interact with and learn from technical peers.

SUGGESTED READING

"PCs for Dummies"
http://www.amazon.com/PCs-Dummies-Dan-Gookin/dp/0764508385/sr=1-2/qid=1159189821/ref=sr_1_2/002-5679488-9337636?ie=UTF8&s=books

"Networking for Dummies"
http://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/002-5679488-9337636?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=network+dummies&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

"Network Security for Dummies"
http://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/002-5679488-9337636?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=security+dummies&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

"Servers for Dummies"
http://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/002-5679488-9337636?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=server+dummies&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

"Word for Dummies"
http://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/002-5679488-9337636?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=word+dummies&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

"Excel for Dummies"
http://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/002-5679488-9337636?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=excel+dummies&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

REFERENCES

(1) Website for the "Dummies" books.
http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/

If this does come to pass, start looking for a new job. It sounds like they want to load up on you for no extra money. If you're already in over your head, they'll chuck you as soon as they realize an expensive mistake was made, and then they'll bring in some 20 year old to do the whole thing for less money.

When I was starting out, I joined a number of networking newsgroups. It helped me immensely to read threads that had content that I thought might be helpful. However, there appear to be unwitten rules, in addition to the group's policies. Asking newbie questions would usually get a response to read a book, take a class, etc. all of which are helpful and worth consideration.
Test the waters, and get a feel for groups which are appropriate. Some are more up-tight than others, but there is a lot of knowledge out there.
Wikis are also good methods to gain knowledge, as the content is submitted from large user communities in the spirit of sharing knowledge and lessons learned.
Google, Ask and other search sites are invaluable. Use Microsoft Knowledgebase; it is often a good place for specific MS error messages you will encounter.

Here is a link, which is full of information:
http://www.jsifaq.com/
and another:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/windowsnt20002003faq/

So much is available. Many times you don't need to know the answer, but if you know where to find the answer you are on your way.

As with any servers, proceed with caution when undertaking modifications, fixes, etc. Don't try to reconfigure the RAID array, for instance, without undestanding the process completely. When working with important data and critical resources, be extra careful. Plan ahead, plan for disasters (natural and otherwise). Try to know what you don't know, and ask for help when needed. Develop local (or even distant) contacts in the field, network where possible, take Community College course, if available.
Good luck...

You should continue to outsource the support of the IT services. The key is finding the right company.
Suggest you go to www.dcninc.com they normaly support banks and other financial firms. 22 years of business history. Tell owner A Carter sent you.

I'd start by getting the appropriate O'Reilly books.
Start at http://www.oreilly.com/pub/topic/serveradmin

Next see if your local college has a short night course.

If you look into certification or certified courses, look at generic courses like CompTIA etc.

Listen carefully to my next piece of advice.
DO NOT WASTE TIME OR MONEY ON MICROSOFT COURSES OR BOOKS.
People are going to holler and scream and try and contradict me, but they are wrong.
These courses are mostly useless, poorly written, and full of errors and contradictions. They have one use, and one use only. To impress the moronic HR demons. That's it, period. They are useless with regards to giving you in-depth, practical, useful real-world knowledge and skills. They serve only to make money for the certification seller (MS in this case.)
If someday you want to pad your resume and make yourself more marketable, then you can consider certifications like MCSE, etc. In the meanwhile, you actually need to DO things.

There are some great documents here on Tech Republic. Stuff like the "10 things..." lists.
eg.
- "10 things you should know about troubleshooting a slow PC"
- "10 dumb things users do
that can mess up their computers"

Also, look at the SAMS books.

Finally, if you really want to save yourself some hassles with security. Remove Outlook, hide IE, and install Firefox (with adblock, filterset.G and IE Tab extensions, minimum) and Thunderbird e-mail instead, and add good Anti-virus and anti-malware software. As well, enforce password policies and be a nazi about users installing their own software. Also look into getting someone to setup a squid cache with squidguard filtering. This can be a pre-emptive strike against malicious web sites being browsed by your users. You can do this with a very inexpensive Linux box. I recommend OpenSuSE.

Tachyon

My boss should ok this if I think it will benefit us.

Hello Jneilson,
I can imagine how exciting it must be to be offered a job that you know nothing about. I have met some people in my life time that have had this happen to them. Many took on the challenge and made out great, but others sank and found themselves on the unemployment line not too long after. After having been in the IT field for almost 10 years now, I would say this to you. If you have a good sense of management skills and can supervise a few people then you might have a chance at success in this endeavor even though most of the stuff you have read is over your head. The idea would be to utilize your management skills to effectively use the services of outside consultants that specialize in IT. Since you did not say much about your skills except that, "what you read here about networks and network administration goes right over your head", I do not know if this would be the better choice for you. From what you have said here about networks and network administration being over your head I would have to advise you to do yourself and the company you work for a great favor and leave the IT department to the experts. It would be most unethical and a great disservice to your company to pretend that you can enhance their present situation for the better and yet not have a clue as to what you are doing. A good IT pro is one that has a combination of know how, management skills and foresight. Managing a network for a company is not just knowing how to keep a network running but also providing leadership with a vision that would keep ahead of the company's own plans and vision. This would allow the company to spring forward at any season and not be held back by an unprepared IT department.
Well, I hope this was somewhat enlightening and helpful. Be well and do well.

Some years ago I was in your exact same position - now I'm IT Director - so I know it's possible to meet the challenge and I wish you well!

My tips:
1)You don't have to be technical straight away but you do have to know who to ask and who to trust. If your IT outsource Co are unhelpful there are plenty more out there. Watch out for exhibitions in your area where you'll meet a few face to face and find people you can talk to. I learned most of my early stuff from engineers and I would refuse visits from engineers that were not able or willing to share knowledge - as long as you make this a key criteria of the contract you shouldn't have any problem and will be learning in a safe environment.
2)Back up - sadly you will learn an awful lot through making mistakes. Make sure yours will never be drastic by making the first thing you get to grips with the back up and restore functions. Get each Manager to confirm exactly what critical applications they run, and what should be being backed up and for how long. If your present system is a single tape, changed every night with the tape left in the tape drive - you need to change the system! Watch out for vital depts (like Finance) saving all their stuff to their C drives and never backing it up.
2)Disk space - make your second job to check what disk space you've got available and how quickly it's filling up.
4)Email and the Internet. Get to grips with whatever systems your Company Operates and make sure your IT Outsource Co can restore functionality when things go wrong. Most Co's can cope with a period of downtime but the first thing you'll get complaints about is not being able to communicate, or recieve communication.
5)Applying IT to the business need. In your present job you will already have a key understanding of what drives the business and what systems you need to support it. You need this information to improve your IT systems so don't underestimate the fact that you already have a lot you can contribute!
6)Project Management - you may already have these skills but if not the best advice I had was to take a course. The best one I found was with the Open University (British) which you can do online www.open.ac.uk
7)Systems Logs - you can avert many a disaster by checking these regularly so get your Outsource Co to show you how and make sure they'll respond to any anomalies you find.

Good luck!

Carol

There a basically two roles to fill, one is the day to day stuff and you can learn this as you go - hope your good at trouble shooting and using the web. The other requires advanced skills that aren't easily learnt quickly, so start by taking over the day to day stuff and get an IT company to do the high end stuff (Exchange, Backup, DR, Active directory, SQL and Sharepoint). This will reduce the companies expenditure and improve support response for the simple stuff.

Look at it this way - 3 levels of support
1st - you can fix it off the top of your head
2nd - You look up the web to fix it
3rd - You call someone to fix it

You will need all 3 to start with.

Just because you can repair a pc or know how to
be an application administrator doesn't equal maintaining a network. A basic networking course
(as in CCNA prep) could give you at least a basic
idea as to what you don't know, and because they
do have "real live" systems to learn on, you wouldn't take your company down when you goofed.
That might give you an idea what to do when the latest Windows update crashes your entire network and none of your programs work cause they no longer see the network.
Good luck!

Hi jneilson:

Who made the decision to bring the development of your website in-house? Is it because you NEED to, or because you WANT to? These are two very different things. Wants are nice, but needs should always be met before wants. You should think about this carefully, because I don't care how much they're paying you for overtime, I can almost guarantee that if you add this to your plate, you will get swamped.

Being in a small firm has the advantage that you get to wear many hats and learn how to do many things. But the disadvantage is that pretty soon, they expect you to do EVERYTHING -- and no matter how much the OT $$$ are, there are only so many hours in a day. To add the IT duties to your other duties may turn out to be an onerous task.

Before you change anything, you have to make an inventory of what you have. You have to make a map of your network resources, and an audit of your software. You have to have a good idea of what you have already before you either improve upon it, change it, or scrap it. You have to come from a place of knowledge, not of assumption or guesswork.

Fortunately, you have the ear of the president and he does seem to appreciate what you are doing for the company. Use that to your advantage. Get some training courses under your belt (whether in-class, online, or self-study), and the company should actually pay for it. Since they are giving you more responsibilities to shoulder, they're obligated to help give you the tools with which to handle them.

Nevertheless, unless you have stock options or something, it still is his company, so at the end of the day, you have to look out for #1. Make sure that no one imposes IT duties on you willy-nilly; get it all in writing what additional duties are now being expected of you; and I also believe that a raise is in order too. (Mo' work, mo' responsibilities -- mo' money!)

Good luck, dude!