10 Important IT Rules for SME's User Support

Those are only real life experiences. Use them as a guideline at your work.

1. Create a general document that every user must sign before they first login on to the computer. Describe duties and responsibilities and also write in all rules that may apply at their work. Create local internet page with useful information that every new user should read.  User should be aware of his/here responsibility when he/she got a computer and a network access.
2. Do not allow users to install any kind of software on a computer without an authorization. All application should be checked and verified by IT stuff.
3. Internet is just one of the sources that users can use for their work. Do not ban private use; there should always be permission to use internet sources also for a private use.  But make it clear that internet use can be filtered and banned if necessary.
4. Use proxy. Proxy gave you a perfect view on internet use. Users should be aware that proxy gave administrators a good internet usage statistic.
5. Teach users about internet use, internet communication. Teach them about internet frauds, ways of how others can gain personal information. Sharing that kind of knowledge with your users is usually well accepted. Users will become more aware of the dark side of internet and in the same time we have some better chances that our system is not going to be compromised.
6. Regularly control public and temporary folders. Do not allow users to store their private stuff on company data storage. Why spend many on expensive fast storage to collect data that is not relevant to business process. But do allow users some private data on local machines. But make it clear that you do not create backup of their personal data.
7. Encourage users to read manuals, use F1 key or just search the internet for their problem.
8. Every new policy you apply and restrict any kind of usage of computer's HW or SW in a company should be explained clearly to all users.
9. Try to choose one or two brand names for your HW (notebooks, desktop, server, printer) that way you are going to have better support, lower price and no compatibility problem. Just allow users to choose their HW from list you provide or accept.
10. Do not be a part of your user mailing list for jokes, funny links etc. If you want to have a strict policy and users who are going to accept them, than you have to be strict to yourself, otherwise all effort is worth nothing.

Just remember, everything your users learn is important as much for him/here as for your SME and you. Less technical support, less error and less time spent on solving problems give use more time to work on improvement and innovations in IT.