Every office has one.

The paralegal who can fix the Wi-Fi.
The office manager who “knows computers.”
The associate who’s somehow both billing hours and untangling the printer cable.

They’re the unsung “tech hero” — the person who saves the day when something breaks, freezes, or just refuses to cooperate.

And let’s be honest: it’s nice to have one. Every firm secretly breathes easier knowing someone can wrangle Outlook or reset that stubborn password.

But here’s the catch: while your office tech hero deserves a round of applause, they should not be your SMB IT strategy.

Why the Tech Hero Isn’t Enough

On the surface, letting your in-house hero “handle IT” seems efficient. No waiting on hold with vendors, no outside invoices, no disruption. But over time, this approach carries real risks for small businesses:

• Lost productivity
  Every hour your paralegal spends fixing Teams is an hour they’re not serving clients or billing work. That’s hidden cost you don’t see until revenue feels thinner than it should.

• Patchwork fixes
  Tech heroes are resourceful, but they’re usually solving the symptom, not the cause. Quick fixes often skip best practices, leaving behind hidden gaps in security or compliance.

• Single point of failure
  What happens when your hero is on vacation… or leaves the firm? The IT “knowledge base” walks out the door, and suddenly no one knows how the Wi-Fi was configured.

• Compliance blind spots
  Your hero may know how to restart the server, but are they keeping up with HIPAA updates, cyber insurance requirements, or CIS Controls 8.1? For law firms, accounting firms, and medical practices, those blind spots can mean fines, lost contracts, or denied coverage.

⚡ Callout: When the Tech Hero Isn’t Enough

One Michigan law firm leaned on their office manager — a self-taught “tech hero” — to handle all things IT. She was great at fixing day-to-day issues and even set up their cloud file sharing.

But when they faced a cyber insurance renewal, the carrier asked for proof of multifactor authentication, patch management, and access reviews. None of it had been documented — or done consistently. The result? A rejected policy renewal and weeks of scrambling to catch up.

Lesson learned: being handy with tech isn’t the same as having a secure IT strategy.

A Better Way Forward

Your office tech hero doesn’t need to hang up their cape — they just need backup. Here’s how firms can build smarter IT without burning out their heroes:

1. Formalize IT support
   Even small firms need clear processes and a trusted IT partner. Think of it as moving from “Bob knows how” to “the firm has a plan.” A managed IT services provider can fill the gaps while keeping costs predictable.

2. Give heroes the right role
   Encourage their curiosity and skill, but let them focus on their real job. Use their knowledge to bridge communication between your team and IT professionals — not to carry the whole burden.

3. Adopt a framework, not just fixes
   Whether it’s CIS Controls 8.1, HIPAA, or cyber insurance requirements, frameworks help SMBs move from reactive “break-fix” to proactive risk management. They keep accounting firms, law firms, and medical offices both secure and compliant.

The Bottom Line

Every firm has a tech hero. And they deserve credit — they keep the wheels turning when things go wrong.

But don’t mistake their cape for a strategy. IT today isn’t just about fixing laptops. It’s about cybersecurity for small business, compliance, and risk management — all of which require more than one person with a knack for tech.

Let your hero be great at what they were hired to do. And let professionals handle the rest.

👉 Ready to take the weight off your tech hero’s shoulders? Let’s talk about how we help firms like yours with IT support for accounting firms, law firms, and medical practices — and keep IT simple.