There are more options than you may think for finding an affordable system administrator. One is to hire a student at a lower rate of pay, and send them to computer classes. Their wage may be low compared to a corporate computer job, but they will be training themselves and investing in their future. A good place to find these folks are in the computer department at local colleges or tech schools.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>The article
Hiring a System Administrator includes many more suggestions for finding someone. Generally, it can be very costly to hire a system administrator, but with a little creativity it is possible to have this position staffed without 'breaking the bank'. Remember that filling this position and keeping your technologies healthy now will keep you sane later. TechSoup's
Funding Section, and especially the
Funding and Grants Resource List may also help you raise the missing money.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>If you really don't have any funds, you still need someone in the system administrator role. Every organization needs at least one person on staff whose responsibility it is to manage the systems to keep them running and healthy. It may be possible to assign these tasks to an existing staff person. If you go this route, you should make sure to remove tasks from their current job description (and re-assign them to someone else) so they have the time to take on the tech duties.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Another option is to use a team of folks. A tech team can share technology duties, as long as each person is specifically assigned certain tasks, and there is some mechanism to make sure they all get done. Tech teams work best when there are established regular meetings at least twice a month. At those meetings, the team can address user problems, system problems (such as Internet access issues or problems with the database), and review technology expenditures. Typically, a tech team is also responsible for preparing, following and revising your technology plan. This plan is the key to timing and controlling technology costs in any organization.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>For more ideas on meeting your technology support and staffing needs, see the
Consultants section and the
Volunteer section.