Most manufacturers have a small but nimble group of IT professionals running and maintaining the technology that keeps their business up and running.

But an event as seemingly minor as an IT staffer taking a vacation or a corporate e-mail system malfunctioning can jeopardize the technological health of the organisation — which in turn directly affects your bottom line. And even when you’re not facing such disruptions, special projects like upgrading or installing new software platforms may be simply more than your team can handle. What should you do?