Spotlight on the BFC IT Department

You’ve got a big project due tomorrow and when you hit “Print” nothing happens. You pick up your phone to check your email and it looks like it hasn’t updated in over a day. You sit down at your desk, open your laptop, and nothing happens when you try to turn it on. You normally get a good WiFi signal when you’re looking for one, but today you can’t even see it. Your workstation is running unbearably slow but everything looks fine. You know you saved that file, it’s definitely in your computer somewhere—where did it go? The register says you have a missing device and it won’t let you log in. Why can’t you see your presentation when you try to project it? All of these things are Information Technology problems, and the BFC IT Team can help.

The BFC IT Team

Jeremy has been with us since August of 2023. He is our Desktop Support Tech and brings us his background in website design and support, with a practical talent for process and troubleshooting. In his time on the team he’s become something of an expert in configuring our Point of Sale system and an invaluable go-to for desktop support. On the side he’s undertaking the daunting task of helping our Pricing Department navigate large updates of items and getting that data hammered into a reasonable standard after decades of being unkempt.

Jon started in April of 2022. He is our Data Analyst. In that time he’s blown me away with his ability to delve deep into our data and ladle out clarity from the chaos. Jon has built a whole suite of automations that help run his recurring tasks so he can focus on more interesting and unique challenges. In his time with us Jon has expanded and explored more in the IT field than he ever had before and has been able to make practical use of all of it. 

I’m Erik, the Director of IT. I’ve been with BFC since April of 2021, and have been working in IT for over 20 years. I have experience with just about all aspects of it, from networking to servers to support to programming. I bring the experience needed to navigate business technology changes, overhaul the server room, and provide recommendations on future needs based on what we can project from today. I step in anywhere along the way to fill the gaps across the board for the team.

What does IT actually do?

I often believe the IT Department in any business is analogous to the oil in the engine of a car. Our sales are the engine that keeps us moving. Other teams are responsible for steering, accelerating, navigating, or even finding the right radio station. The oil keeps the engine from seizing up, and when properly maintained helps it run smoothly for a long time. Neglect it and the car will start to make odd noises or perform sluggishly. Ignore it completely and one day your car just won’t start; it won’t matter how big the engine is or who’s in the driver’s seat.

IT is a nebulous concept. There’s a vast ocean of interconnected data points in the world, created by millions of big and small islands of stability, with a myriad of hazards under the surface lapping against the shores of those islands. The IT Team at BFC manages our own island in that sea. The shoreline is our firewall between us and the outside world, and it’s guarded relentlessly from intrusion while still letting the data we need come and go. That connection leads to our network, which manages the interconnected devices – WiFi, computers, handhelds, registers—so they can work together instead of running into each other.

Every element of the network has its own special needs and concerns. Our IT team manages all of those things in addition to the day-to-day tasks you see us doing. Firewalls need regular updates, servers need to be monitored and kept healthy, automations constantly seem to go out of alignment as things change. We interact regularly with a lot of teams around the data they need, run reports, develop processes, and work to try and generally make things a little smoother every day.

It can be stressful, though. Being in IT means you’re often not thought of unless there’s a problem, and we bear the entirety of the responsibility for the proper function of just about every electronic device in the store. We’re sensitive to the problems people face and often come to see you just when you’ve had about enough of everything, and we appreciate your patience with us.

First and foremost, though, we’re here to help. Let us know what we can do to make things work a little better for you!

by Erik Hansen, Director of IT