What the IT department takes care of
Internal IT has four jobs. Infrastructure keeps servers, networks, Wi-Fi, firewalls, backups and CCTV storage working. End-user support issues laptops, fixes printers, resets passwords and handles helpdesk tickets. Applications runs the ERP, HRMS, CRM and email, including user accounts, vendor coordination and upgrades. Information security sets password and access rules, patches systems and responds to incidents. In a software company, the development side adds requirement analysis, coding, code review, testing, release management and production support, usually organized as project or product teams led by technical leads.
- Infrastructure: servers, cloud accounts, network, firewall, backups and licences
- End-user support: helpdesk tickets, laptops, printers, email and access cards
- Business applications: ERP, HRMS, CRM, user rights and vendor escalations
- Software delivery: development, testing, DevOps and production support
- Information security: access reviews, patching, audits and incident response
IT team size at 50, 500 and 5,000 employees
In a 50-person company that does not sell software, IT is often one system administrator or an annual maintenance contract with a local vendor, plus the founder or an office manager who holds the admin passwords. A 500-person company with several branches usually has an IT manager, two or three support engineers, a network administrator and an ERP coordinator, and it outsources data backup or security monitoring.
A 5,000-person company has a CIO or head of IT with managers for infrastructure, applications, information security and the service desk, and IT coordinators at each plant or regional office. In a software company of that size the picture is different: a CTO leads engineering managers, technical leads, software engineers, QA engineers and DevOps teams organized by product or client account, and internal IT is a smaller team that serves the employees.
How IT supports every other department
IT touches every employee's first and last day. HR sends the joining list so IT can create the email ID, laptop and system access before day one, and sends exits so IT can disable access on the last working day and recover assets before the full and final settlement is cleared. Finance works with IT on ERP controls, licence renewals and the IT budget. Operations and production depend on IT for barcode scanners, biometric devices and plant networks. Legal and compliance ask IT for audit trails and data retention. A ticket system with clear priorities keeps these requests from arriving as phone calls.
IT approvals and reporting lines
The head of IT usually reports to the CEO, COO or CFO; in software companies the CTO reports to the CEO and sits on the leadership team. Support engineers report to the service desk or infrastructure manager, and developers report to technical leads, then engineering managers. Access requests follow a two-step rule: the user's reporting manager approves the need, and the application owner or IT grants the access. Hardware and software purchases follow the company's purchase limits, with the IT head approving the technical specification and finance approving the spend. Admin rights on production systems are granted by name and reviewed every quarter.
Typical information technology team structure
Information Technology designation hierarchy
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What does the IT department do in a company?
The IT department runs and protects the company's technology: computers, networks, servers, business software such as ERP and email, the helpdesk, and information security. It sets up access for joiners, removes it for leavers, buys and maintains hardware and licences, and keeps backups. In a software company, IT also includes the engineering teams who build and support the product.
What is the hierarchy of an IT department?
The CIO or head of IT leads managers for infrastructure, applications, service desk and information security, who in turn lead system and network administrators, support engineers and ERP specialists, with support technicians at the entry level. In software companies the delivery side runs from CTO to engineering manager, technical lead, senior software engineer and software engineer.
What is the difference between a CIO and a CTO?
A CIO runs the technology the company uses internally, such as ERP, networks, security and employee systems, and focuses on reliability and cost. A CTO owns the technology the company sells or builds into its product, including architecture and engineering teams. Many Indian companies have only one of the two, with the title chosen by whether software is the product.
Who does the IT manager report to?
In a small or mid-sized company the IT manager commonly reports to the CFO, the COO or directly to the managing director. When technology becomes central to operations, a CIO or head of IT is appointed and reports to the CEO, and the IT managers then report to that head.