“Right now, somewhere, a well-meaning business owner is Googling ‘how to set up a VPN’ while juggling payroll and vendor calls,” says Clark Sandlin, CEO of Zyrka. “And that’s exactly how breaches happen. That’s how outages wreck your operations. That’s how expensive lessons get written in blood—well, in dollars.” Clark has seen this movie too many times, and the ending never changes. “I get it,” he admits. “The temptation is real. Tech feels easy, there’s a YouTube tutorial for everything. But let’s be clear: businesses aren’t baking cupcakes here. You’re handling sensitive financials, client data, and reputations that can evaporate with one careless click.”
The Illusion of Savings
“You might save a line item on a service invoice today,” he warns, “but you’re gambling with your entire operation. A botched migration, a ransomware attack, or a backup you didn’t test can blow a hole in your finances ten times bigger than the ‘savings’ you bragged about.” He points out that DIY approaches often lead to hidden costs: downtime, compliance penalties, and staff burnout. “I’ve walked into businesses where an employee was spending 20 hours a week moonlighting as an ‘IT guy’—on top of their real job,” Clark says. “They weren’t saving money. They were leaking productivity and risking everything.”
The Trap of Big-Box Bargains
Clark points out another common mistake: buying computers directly from consumer vendors without understanding what a business environment demands. “Clients will tell me they saved a few hundred dollars by buying a desktop or laptop from a big-box store,” Clark explains. “What they don’t realize is that those machines are built with the cheapest components possible, components that aren’t designed to run reliably under the constant load of business use.” He emphasizes that custom-built business machines are engineered for durability, compatibility, and long-term performance. “A custom business computer isn’t just about speed,” Clark states. “It’s about using reliable parts—enterprise-grade drives, quality power supplies, better cooling, and components chosen to handle years of heavy use. Cutting corners here often means more crashes, shorter lifespans, and higher costs down the road.”
Expertise Is More Than Google Searches and it definitely isn’t an IT Strategy. Clark emphasizes that IT expertise isn’t just about knowing which buttons to click—it’s about understanding systems, risk, and strategy. “Look, a video can show you how to install a firewall,” Clark explains, “but it can’t teach you how that firewall impacts your network, your compliance obligations, or your future growth. That takes experience, not a ten-minute tutorial.” Real IT management isn’t about clicking the right buttons—it’s about strategy: threat analysis, disaster recovery planning, compliance alignment, proactive monitoring, and anticipating risks before they blindside you.
When DIY Becomes Detrimental
Clark shares stories of clients who called Zyrka only after disaster struck. “We’ve been brought in after failed cloud migrations where months of emails vanished,” he recalls. “We’ve seen ransomware attacks encrypt years of unbacked-up data. In every case, the cost of the fix shadowed what proper IT support would have been.” He adds that even well-intentioned employees can introduce vulnerabilities. “People don’t know what they don’t know,” Clark states. “You can’t YouTube your way out of a zero-day exploit.”
The Business Case for Professional IT
For Clark, the argument isn’t just about avoiding disaster, it’s about enabling growth. “When IT is handled correctly, it stops being a headache and becomes a competitive advantage,” he explains. “You get secure systems, reliable backups, and infrastructure that scales with your business instead of holding it back.” He’s blunt about the bottom line. He encourages decision-makers to view IT not as a cost center, but as an investment in stability and opportunity. “Your business deserves more than a patchwork fix,” Clark concludes. “Stop DIY-ing your IT. Stop buying bargain hardware. Hire pros who understand the terrain, who see the risks coming, and who’ll guard what you’ve built. The only thing DIY guarantees is regret.”
