Wait, Who’s in Charge of This? The Cost of Unclear IT
When nobody really knows who’s in charge of IT, chaos creeps in—slowly, then all at once. This blog dives into the real (and expensive) consequences of unclear IT ownership, from forgotten software renewals to mystery access that never got shut off. With a healthy dose of humor, we break down how the confusion starts, why it snowballs, and what you can do to stop the slow drain on your team’s time, budget, and sanity.
Wait, Who’s in Charge of This? The Cost of Unclear IT
Let’s play a game called “Who Do I Call?”
The printer’s down. Your email won’t sync. Karen can’t log in. There’s a weird pop-up on the server. Do you ping Steve from marketing because “he’s good with computers”? Do you message that one IT guy whose name you’re pretty sure is Brad but maybe it’s Brian? Or do you just quietly Google how to fix it and pray?
This is what unclear IT looks like. And it’s draining your team faster than a Monday morning Zoom call with no agenda.
When nobody knows who owns what, things slip through the cracks. That “small” software issue that no one followed up on? Now the CRM’s toast and your sales team is throwing rocks at their laptops. The antivirus renewal? Missed it. Hope those mysterious files someone downloaded don’t come back to haunt you. And that guy who quit three months ago? Still has access to half your systems. Classic.
Unclear IT isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s expensive. Not just in dollars, but in time, energy, sanity, and the growing pile of duct-tape fixes that no one remembers setting up. You start relying on the memory of whoever’s been here the longest. You get duplicate tools, missed updates, and a lot of “we’ve always done it this way” energy.
And the best part? When something finally breaks in a big way, everyone suddenly cares a lot about who’s responsible. Finger-pointing becomes a sport. Meetings multiply. Consultants get called. You spend way more cleaning up than you ever would’ve spent getting things set up properly in the first place.
So if your IT setup feels like a mystery box no one really wants to open, it might be time to stop winging it. Assign ownership. Document stuff. Build a real process. Because vague IT responsibilities aren’t harmless. They’re quietly lighting fires under your desk while everyone else is looking the other way.
And if you’re reading this thinking, “Wow, this feels weirdly specific,” don’t worry—you’re not alone. We see this all the time. And we’re really good at un-messifying it.
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