I am a single-person I.T. Department for a non-profit child welfare agency, managing 150 users, 100 desktops, 6 servers, and all aspects of technology. We have our email, database, app, file, and print servers, phone system (within a couple of weeks moving to VoIP), accounting and case management systems all in-house. The only thing I don’t host or manage is the website, due to lack of time and flukey local utilities.
I have not been what I would call “diligent” when it comes to keeping change-logs when servers are set up and apps installed- I tend to keep the most relevant stuff in my head. This scenario, however, is a disaster waiting to happen. If something were to happen to me, 1) nobody in this organization would be able to fill my shoes even temporarily (social workers…) and 2) I would think a new person would have a hard time getting acclimated to the network, due to the lack of *settings* documentation. I did create a “LAN Book” that contains things like server names and hardware configs, LAN physical layout (which is quite convoluted), services and apps running on particular servers, and DHCP/DNS settings.
My problem is this: I built this network from nothing, and this has been my only work experience in the IT field, so I have no others to look to. I have been tasked with creating a manual that would allow someone to run the network in case I die in a car wreck on the way home.
What would you include, and where in the world would you start? To me, this seems like an insurmountable volume of data… I know that my CFO wants a domain admin account password kept in a safe deposit box, but where is the line drawn- do I include that the fiber between buildings is 6-strand 6.25 micron direct plant with SC ends, just so that person knows?
What say those in the trenches?
~Thanks,
~Dave