Redundancy gets a lot of attention in the IT world. 
Much of the conversation on this topic revolves around having adequate hardware and infrastructure to support your mission-critical operations. For example, if your internet circuits or switch go down, redundancy keeps your company connected to the web.
However, an often-overlooked component of redundancy is just as vital – personnel.
As an IT manager, you have to ensure you have enough employees in your department to meet your users’ needs while emphasizing the importance of communication. And this isn’t touching on the technical component of the job.
It’s a tall order, but you’re not alone.
Not only has The KR Group had to find answers to these same questions, but we’ve also have seen enough external IT departments to know the difference having redundant staff makes.
To create a department where continuity is a reality, you’ll want to start with answering a few questions:
- What does redundancy look like?
- What are the benefits of implementing redundancy?
- What are the challenges?
- How can you create interdepartmental redundancy?
Keep in mind that these changes won’t happen overnight. However, once you’ve finished this article, you’ll pick up some helpful tips for implementing redundancy.
What Redundancy Looks Like
You likely have a vision of what redundancy could look like in action within your IT department.
For example, your staff would be cross-trained, with no single gatekeeper to information. As a result, you’d have an adequate amount of IT staff to support your users and infrastructure, even when someone takes time off.
Overall, your department runs like a well-oiled machine.
But actually getting to this point takes a lot of effort, and implementing redundancy is a key component of achieving your goals.
We could go on and on about the nuances of every task you should complete to achieve redundancy within your IT department. However, it’s more practical and helpful to zoom out to the big picture of creating a culture of redundancy.
For that, here are the core values you should prioritize:
- Transparency: Are the members of your IT department open and honest with information?
- Communication: Does your IT department talk to each other? Open communication is crucial for helping your IT department learn the various aspects of the department.
- Knowledge sharing: Is there a centralized repository for documentation on your IT infrastructure’s different systems and policies?
Benefits of Redundancy
Interdepartmental redundancy is a testament to how well you can help the users who depend on you.
When a member of your IT team is out, transparency, communication, and knowledge-sharing within your department should make it so that other users hardly notice the impact.
But redundancy doesn’t just benefit those who are outside of your department.
By focusing on the three core values mentioned above, you can ease some of the stress of IT jobs.
Challenges of Implementing Redundancy
Becoming a redundant IT department often involves challenges, and the size of your team impacts what those look like.
If you’re a smaller IT department (fewer than 10 engineers), your most significant challenge will be adequate resources. There are only so many people to go around, so it can be tricky to coordinate time off requests while ensuring continued redundancy.
However, if you’re a larger IT department, communication becomes your biggest struggle.
Sure, you may have ample personnel to cover vacation days, but you’ll want to ensure information flows appropriately within your department. (Pro tip: Hire a supervisor to help you manage some of the IT team.)
Creating Redundancy in your IT Department
Now that you understand what redundancy looks like and why you should implement it, you’re likely wondering how to put it into practice.
Start by focusing on your team dynamics by fostering a positive culture within your department. This will intuitively lead to better communication.
Then, as you look for ways to increase cross-training and knowledge sharing, tie those objectives to engaging training exercises. You could even take an extra step by bringing in food or reimbursing a meal to accompany the training.
For setting long-term goals, create bonus-driven incentives revolving around departmental or individual expectations.
Employees who stay with your company and department are critical. By creating plans for growth (including revolving around redundancy), you can make employees feel like there are future growth opportunities within your department.
Why Should You Have Redundancy in Your IT Department?
As an IT manager, you want your employees and department to succeed, and by implementing redundancy, you can create better continuity and scalability.
Redundancy is an essential part of creating an IT department that works together and helps the rest of your users.
Here are a few takeaways to remember:
- No one in your department should hold on to information, but instead, they should be transparent about what they know.
- Your IT staff should clearly and effectively communicate what’s going on with your infrastructure to minimize confusion among engineers.
- And when one or more of your IT engineers takes time off, there shouldn’t be a significant gap because you’ve prioritized knowledge sharing.
Transparency, communication, and knowledge sharing can help you reap the benefits and overcome the challenges of implementing redundancy in your department.
Want more tips on leading an effective IT department? Download our free IT manager priorities checklist for help organizing your to-do list.
