1. How important is technology to your business? This is as salient a question as you can ask yourself. If, by chance, technology is not particularly central - perhaps your billing and record-keeping are still largely paper-based and manual - then an on-staff IT person may not be necessary. But, if yours is a business where technology is closely interwoven into your daily operations, then an IT staffer may make a world of sense."There are businesses where computers are little more than $3,000 typewriters. They may not need an IT person," says Stephen Buckley, IT manager for the Center for eBusiness at the Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "But, if you run a small engineering firm where you're designing prototypes and sharing a great deal of files, an IT person may be an exceedingly good idea."

2. Have you implemented any IT policies already? You likely have policies covering most every element of your business. Chances may also be good that IT is one area where there are few, if any, established procedures. If they're absent, an in-house IT staffer can help put them in place and enforce them. "I've been called to work in businesses where there were no policies regarding IT — in fact, some didn't even have any virus protection software," Buckley says. "I'd do a virus sweep and find every computer in the place infected."Christie agrees on the need for policies: "We had employees who were using our computers for extensive personal use during work time or transferring confidential files to their home computers."

3. How much computer downtime do you experience? This carries a double whammy. First, obviously enough, productivity suffers when computers or other forms of technology are on the blink. But even worse, trying to run down outside help can prove time consuming and maddening. "It's often that you'll hear about how frustrated people are with the technology in small to medium-sized businesses," says Ted Sun of the University of Phoenix faculty. "They don't command the power of large corporations, so their problems are always in the queue."And even if you are blessed with an in-house "power user" who can troubleshoot most of your employees' tech problems, tracking and eradicating these problems can distract the techie from his or her primary work tasks.

4. Are you spending more money than you have to? Many businesspeople will argue that having an on-staff IT person is needlessly expensive. Maybe, maybe not. Track how much you're laying out for outside help. It may actually be cheaper to add one more salary than to be writing an endless number of checks to consultants. If need be, consider blending IT responsibilities with other duties if your tech needs aren't a 24/7 concern.Also know that, in time, an on-staff IT pro can save more than just resources spent on outside assistance. A savvy IT staffer can also save your business money by getting the best bang for your IT buck on products, maintenance and other tech needs.

5. Do you genuinely want technology to do all that it can do for you? This is akin to someone getting contact lenses and finally recognizing all that he's been missing. While many business owners have a working knowledge of technology's capabilities, it's difficult to grasp every element of its potential. That's yet another area that a full-time IT person, with day-to-day involvement in your business operations, than an IT partner or consultant. "Do you really want your business to grow and do things with technology that you never did before?" asks Buckley. "A visionary IT person can open your eyes to all that's possible."

6. Would you better trust someone who's on the inside of your business? Many companies are fortunate to have an outside IT person who knows their businesses up one side and down the other. Sad to say, there are many others who don't.Perhaps an outside consultant is suggesting inappropriate solutions, being overly pushy about expensive options, or recommending unrealistic implementation of changes and updates. That shouldn't be the case with an in-house IT person or staff, where ongoing exposure to and experience with company issues puts them in closer touch with what matters to your operation. An in-house employee also is likely to invest more time and energy in the success of your company that an outside resource, no matter how good that partner or consultant might be.

7. How much is peace of mind worth to you? This question is somewhat more ethereal than other IT-related issues, but it's no less important. Think back to the last time an IT problem cropped up. Was it addressed efficiently and quickly or did you have to scramble in an angst-ridden frenzy to make do until the snafu was finally solved? Even if technology issues only surface on occasion, having an IT person readily available at all times frees your attention for other matters, such as the nuts and bolts of your business.With a dedicated staffer devoted to the maintenance of our IT infrastructure, you're also far more likely to avoid many of the problems that eventually cause crashes or downtime on unmanaged or remotely managed systems.