Running a background check on a potential hire is becoming increasingly common, but is not yet the norm. In some instances the check may just be a formality, but in other instances it’s an urgent priority – especially in the case of IT hires. The simple fact is that if you’re not running background checks on your IT candidates, you are putting your entire enterprise at risk. And the consequences could be disastrous. Here’s why:

Your Greatest Assets Live in IT

Ask yourself, when someone robs a bank, who is the most valuable target – a bank teller or the person with a key to the vault? Your IT staff basically has a key to the vault and inside is the financial information, personal records, and intellectual property that is absolutely essential to your business. If you don’t determine exactly who is holding that key and what kind of intent he may have, you are putting your most valuable assets at risk. The only way to do a complete vetting is to look past resumes and interview answers and perform a thorough background check.

IT is Central to Your Enterprise

If your IT infrastructure went offline today, what kind of impact would it have on your enterprise? Work would probably grind to a halt and stay that way until things returned to normal. That illustrates just how important IT is to the way you do business. For that reason, you want to have absolute faith that you’re hiring honest and qualified IT staff, and you won’t know for sure until you run a background check. These checks reveal lies or exaggerations on a resume that mediocre candidates use to look like stellar candidates.

Threats Take Many Forms

Is a history of cyber crime the only thing you’re worried about? It shouldn’t be, because other threats can be just as consequential, and you won’t spot them until you run a background check. For instance, a candidate with financial problems might be tempted by a third party to compromise your IT security in exchange for money. A candidate with a demonstrated history of negligence could put you at risk simply through laziness. And a candidate who has had past conflicts with co-workers could prove to be a disruptive presence in the office. Background checks give you the complete picture you need to fully and fairly judge an IT hire.

Do you have questions about making background checks a part of your IT recruiting process? If so, get answers by contacting RennerBrown.