Last week, we covered 5 Church-IT Pitfalls to Avoid.
We talked about overzealous password policies, mismanaged datacenters and more. Be sure to check it out, but my favorite stuff was what you you guys added, so don’t miss the comments, either!
Here are 5 more Church-IT pitfalls to avoid:
1. Logging in As “The Big Guy”
One of the most classic mistakes is always logging-in as the administrator or “root” account. The problem is, you’re usually doing minor tasks, yet, you risk nuking your whole system. Just sayin’.
It might be a hassle to enter the admin info every time you need to do a major maintenance task, but it’s better than the alternative.
Oops.
2. The Latest & Greatest
You don’t need the latest. With all that beta floating out there, it can be tempting to jump on the latest stuff. Don’t give into the “force!” You don’t want to take something on the open road without it having completed its own road test. Your desktop is one thing, but don’t mess with your datacenter. Being a guinea pig isn’t a good idea.
3. Re-Inventing the Wheel
Just because you have the resources and know-how to build a CMS, doesn’t mean you should. When there are countless high-quality apps already built, find the best fit and roll with it.
4. Unscaleable
Your system is as strong as your weakest link and is only as fast as your slowest piece. You also need to be careful about cutting corners.
Always think a step ahead of where you’re trying to go. Although I don’t agree with going over the top and sinking in big bucks into the latest and greatest, I also hate and loathe those that like to cut corners to “save” money by having headaches later.
5. One Vendor for All
As easy as it may be to roll everything into one vendor, in the end, is a bad strategy.
Large IT vendors love to offer integrated solutions, and a support contract that promises “one throat to choke” will always be appealing to overworked admins.
No one has the corner on everything. Find who does what best, and go with them.
I recently found this out when I tried to move to a different server because I wanted their backup service. I learned the hard way. I went back to my solid sever, and am now going to try to find an equally solid backup solution.
[via InfoWorld | Image via Anderson Silva]
kolby says
I would think the biggest pit fall would be a lack of budget! Great post.
Eric Dye says
True story.