Our mid-size construction company has a small IT team and a limited budget. We use Exchange Online, SharePoint, AutoCAD and JD Edwards, but we don't have centralized device management. I work in helpdesk and don't have access to the Microsoft 365 admin center. What should we tackle first?
Where should we start improving IT at a construction company?
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_mostly~inbound_8
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Start with the problems, not a shopping list. Ask managers and staff where work gets held up, what information they struggle to find, and what would cause the most disruption if it went missing or became unavailable.
Then pick a few issues you can explain in business terms. A rough cost and a clear benefit will make it easier to ask for funding than a general infrastructure upgrade.
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Get an inventory together before choosing a platform. List the devices, users, applications, licenses and vendors, along with whoever owns each system. You may need a senior team member to fill in the gaps.
From there, look at how accounts and devices are set up for new staff and removed when people leave. A reliable identity source and a repeatable process for both will give you a much better foundation. Centralized ticket tracking can also show you which issues keep coming back.
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Device management sounds like a useful area to investigate. Since you're already using Microsoft 365, ask the person with admin access to check your licenses and whether Intune is available. Don't assume it's included or buy it before you know what you have and what you need it to do.
_mostly~inbound_8:
I don't have access to check the licenses myself, so I'll need to ask the senior team member about that first.
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Take a look at document access too. Find out who can get to sensitive files, who decides access, and what happens when someone changes roles or leaves. That may uncover a useful first project without requiring a big new system.
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If the team doesn't have the access or time to assess the environment properly, consider bringing in a consultant or managed service provider for a scoped review. Get agreement on the budget and the questions you want answered first, rather than signing up for a broad service straight away.
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!tuck~the+notepad_6:
It is also worth asking what the business expects to change over the next few years. That can help you avoid fixing a process that is about to disappear anyway.