The one-person IT department survival guide

If you’re the sole IT person at a private school, you already know the deal. You’re responsible for help desk tickets, network infrastructure, security, vendor management, strategic planning, and probably audio-visual support for chapel too.

Nobody expects a one-person finance department to do everything. But IT? Different story.

In conversations we’ve had with IT directors at ISSL schools, the frustration is palpable. Too much work. Not enough time. Leadership that doesn’t always understand what you’re protecting them from.

This article won’t magically fix your staffing situation. But it might help you think about prioritization when everything feels urgent.

The prioritization framework

Here’s how we suggest thinking about your work:

Tier 1: Keep things running

If it stops the school from operating, it’s tier 1. Network connectivity. Email. The SIS. Parent portals. These systems can’t be down, and keeping them running is your baseline responsibility.

Tier 2: Protect against disaster

Security isn’t optional. A ransomware attack or data breach would be catastrophic. Basic security hygiene - patching, backups, access controls, MFA - needs to happen even when you’re busy with other things.

Tier 3: Make things better

New tools, process improvements, training - these are important but usually not urgent. They often get pushed to “when I have time” which means never.

Tier 4: Nice to have

Cutting-edge technology, experimental projects, things that would be cool but nobody’s asking for. In a well-resourced IT department, there’s time for this. When you’re solo, there usually isn’t.

Most solo IT directors spend all their time in tier 1 with occasional crises pulling them into tier 2. Tier 3 and 4 don’t happen.

What you might consider letting go

I’m not going to tell you to “work smarter, not harder.” You’re probably already as smart as you’re going to get about this work.

But you might think about:

Saying no more often. That teacher who wants you to set up an elaborate video system for their classroom? Maybe that’s a project for next year. Or never.

Standardizing aggressively. Every exception creates maintenance burden. Standard devices, standard configurations, standard policies. Yes, some people won’t like it.

Documenting less. Controversial take: comprehensive documentation for everything is ideal but not realistic when you’re solo. Document the critical stuff. Accept that some knowledge lives in your head.

Outsourcing tactically. Managed services for specific functions (like network monitoring or backup verification) can free up time for higher-value work.

When to ask for help

The hardest part of being solo IT might be knowing when to escalate. You don’t want to cry wolf, but you also can’t handle everything yourself.

Some signals that you need backup:

• You’re consistently working 60+ hour weeks just to tread water
• Security updates are falling weeks or months behind
• You’re responding to every incident reactively with no proactive capacity
• The backlog of projects keeps growing regardless of how hard you work

If these sound familiar, it’s time to have a conversation with leadership about resources. Either additional staff, contracted support, or reduced scope of responsibilities.

Making the case to leadership

Administrators often don’t understand technology deeply, which makes advocacy difficult. Some approaches that work:

Speak in terms of risk. “If we don’t address X, here’s what could happen and what it would cost.” Decision-makers understand risk better than technical specifications.

Get specific about trade-offs. “I can do A or B this quarter, but not both. Which is the priority?” Force explicit choices rather than trying to do everything.

Document what you’re not doing. Keep a list of deferred projects and delayed maintenance. When something goes wrong, you’ll have evidence that it wasn’t a surprise.

Bring external voices. Sometimes leadership needs to hear from someone other than you that a concern is legitimate. Consultants, peer schools, industry reports can all provide validation.

You’re not alone

One thing that might help: you’re not the only solo IT person struggling with this. Through ISSL and other networks, there are peers dealing with the same challenges.

Connecting with other school IT directors - even informally - can provide perspective, solutions, and solidarity. The problems are similar across schools even if the specific details differ.

If you’re an IT director at a St. Louis private school and want someone to talk through these challenges with, we do that. Not to sell you something - just to help you think through prioritization and make the case for what you need.