IT Staff

...you may want to hire an assistant to perform tasks as directed by you, whatever that task may be or wherever that task may take him.

If the driving from one office to another is getting to be too much, perhaps you could consider hiring a person at the most "busy" location (or locations). However, having a person "on-site" will result in your losing some control over some matters. You would still be, however, the coordinator of the flow of information technology between the offices.

First you need to decide what of the work done you want to do. The planning, the fixing etc. Then examine how the existing workload is split up across the offices geographically. Then employ someone to do what you don't want to do overall and have them pick some responsibility for fixing in some areas.

If you wish to maintain control and get at more of the planning, then get some people just out of college with damp IT certs and employ them to do fixing under direction.

If you employ people with enough smarts you can actually employ some at other offices and have them routinely fix small problems and contact you for direction on the harder jobs, also employ one at, or near, your office so that they can pinch hit for you when needed.

But the core questions you need to answer first are:

What do I want to do and where are the staff most needed.

First figure out what is your goal -

Do you want to continue to "Control" everything, make every decision, installs, answer every question, solve every problem. - OR do you want to start planning and mapping the future direction of the network, investigating new technologies that could be used.

Then hire the staff to support that - let that staff member know that you will make all the decisions and they are just the lacky, the Grunt the ground pounder... You will then see that very few will accept your position...

You will need to give up Control - and expertise as you move into management. There are many articles in TC that deal with Techie's becoming managers ... read them - they give some good advise...

If you don't want to give up Control and Technical abilities - stay Techie - Hire no one and kill yourself with over load. Give up control and Hire skilled personal and start to live and enjoy your work ...

All in what you want ...

It is possible to support the a network that size yourself but you still may choose not to.

If there is someone 'slighty' technically minded staff at each of the sites then some of your admin can be passed.

Power users can deal with backup schedules and can be taught how to fix most basic 'helpdesk' calls: Printer Paper jams, email config or even more advance tasks assigned with task pads such as resetting passwords. (Which we could all do without!)

If you can pass enough off to these power users you are still in control and may not need any more staff.

BTW VNC is an excellent (free) bit of remote access software which gives all you need to control any internet connected PC. (Run a session within a session for the LAN clients).

Regards

Monty

As you clearly state you have a problem with delgating work and giving up control, once you get staff under you you will find you have less time to do any hands on work and you will be spending more and more time behind a desk pushing papers around.

You really have two options either go with the flow and leave hands on work behind or stay with the idea of getting your hands dirty and get someone to organise the workload. Managmanet of any kind involves meetings with other department managers and very little if any hands on work from your description of your self I don't think that would make you happy.

Only you can answer this for yourself do you want the hassle that goes with managment and very little chance to do any hands on work or would this make you happy. Remember that as time goes by you will be tied to that desk more and more what may at first appear a relief from the everyday troubles will eventually feel like a ball and chain around your neck unless you want this.

Most of the above suggestions while they might work for now are only at best a stop gap measure and if implemented will only be putting off the ineviatable decission. It is best to make a clean break now as any procrastination will only be to your disadvantage latter on.

This is something that you are going to have to think long and hard about what you want to do and how you want to achieve this.

There is also this to remember there are some people who can start an organisation and get it up and running but these very same people have a hard time of working in a structured enviroment once the company or whatever is setup and system put in place as they constantly need to buck the system to get things dome when they think they need doing rather than when the system requires them done.

I know it's not an easy decission to make but it is something that you are going to have to do, you are going to have to ask yourself can you live within the enviroment of a going concern as apposed to the guy who starts things off and knows all the ways to cut corners and get things doen, while this is a definate advantage when starting any business it isn't at all helpful when it is established and growing.

It is a sad fact of life there are those of us who are starters and excell at this type of work and then there are those who can work within an existing framework and most times the two don't mix well together. If you really loved getting things up and established now is the time to move on to another job where you can use your tallents rather than staying and becoming unhappy and eventually walking out in discust or being firred.

It is always easier to find another job when you already have one than what it is to find a job once you have left under a cloud.

While I'm sorry for this responce it is honest and it is something that you serriously need to think about.

Col

you're out sick for a week to 10 days? Who covers for you? Depending on your work load, perhaps using contractors, who are familiar with your setup and your users, may save you money overall, allow you to still have control and give you the support you need during critical times. However, the down side is you must make sure everything is well documented, including all passwords to everything so in case you fall off the face of the Earth the company is not in a crisis.