SME – Subject Matter Expert
SME – Subject Matter Expert (in the IT sector)
What is an SME? A “Subject Matter Expert” is a person who is particularly familiar with a product, the specialist/expert in the company for a specific area, so to speak. The SME is available for questions, implementations or problems.
It makes sense to define an SME, as this clearly assigns the area of responsibility for a topic. If there are questions on this topic, they can be clearly addressed. It also makes work easier for employees within your company if responsibilities are clearly defined and there are contact points for any problems.
How does an SME function in an organization?
For example, the SME is particularly familiar with a product such as Microsoft Data Protection Manager. He is very familiar with how the tool works, knows all about guidelines, data backup concepts or data retention and can also put this knowledge to good use in connection with the company. The SME is also particularly well informed about team responsibilities and can establish connections if necessary.
Furthermore, the Subject Matter Expert can arrange for compliance within the company and also address such issues with departmental managers. This could be, for example, retention policies for deleted files, emails and backups. The SME is also responsible for publicizing these guidelines throughout the company in advance. In the event of an audit, the SME acts as a point of contact and can answer specific questions as they are aware of all the details.
Situations for the sensible use of Subject Matter Experts
Many professionals are well trained in several directions and have a broad, but not overly in-depth, specialist knowledge. Most of the time this is perfectly adequate, but some situations require more specialized knowledge. A few examples describe such situations:
- Fixing a bug in the development of software
- Use of new technologies or management approaches
- Within a project in which purely superficial knowledge is not expedient
- subject areas that deviate too much from day-to-day business (such as legal issues)
Subject Matter Expets of New Media Service GmbH
If you do not have enough trained employees for an important subject area or you lack the resources for further training, our IT professionals will be happy to act as external SMEs for you. Feel free to contact us to find out which subject area you would like to have covered by our specialists.
In any case, give some thought to the use of Subject Matter Experts in your company. We will also provide you with reliable support in assessing the current situation and offer you comprehensive advice, right through to the fully implemented solution.
New Media Service GmbH offers these services in the Subject Matter Experts division
Does your company already have experts for specific topics? For clearer responsibilities and shorter solution paths for topic-specific problems, it definitely makes sense to appoint SMEs. If you have not yet defined these, the NMS team will be happy to support you or provide you with an expert on a project-by-project basis.
We would be happy to work with you to create an overview of all the specialist topics in your company and categorize them. Topics could include printers, backup, e-mail, data storage (SAN) or specific software topics. Together we create an understanding of the tasks of an SME and establish this understanding in your organization. Of course, we can also train your employees with regard to the responsibilities of an SME, but also in specialist topics.
Even if you have already appointed one or two specialists in your team, we can further refine and improve your concept. The creation of an overview initially provides you with a good overview and can also reveal potential for improvement or expansion.
If you would like to find out more, simply contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation. We will be happy to provide you with information on this topic and, if required, take care of the implementation and realization for you.