From One Person to a Team: The Evolution of IT at Telecom District

By Adrián Gómez, CIO of Telecom District.

In 2021, IT at Telecom District wasn't a department—it consisted of just a few tools managed by several people. Today, it is a division that supports day-to-day operations, provides the company with financial and operational visibility, and is bringing artificial intelligence to the forefront of decision-making.

This is the story of how we got here: how we went from solving problems to contributing to the business strategy.

2021: An Extra Task That Turned Into a Role

It all started with a request for help. I was working in the engineering department when I was asked to help manage the few IT tools we had. I agreed, never imagining that this “help” would end up becoming my full-time job.

The starting point was simple: email, user accounts, and basic license and access management. Administration was divided among several people, and there was no dedicated department. It worked, but it depended on someone remembering what had been configured, for whom, and why.

That first year was spent organizing what was already in place and figuring out what the company really needed.

2022: The IT Department Is Established

In 2022, I formally left the engineering department, and the company officially established the IT department. At first, the department consisted of just one person: me.

The fundamental changes came with the establishment of a formal structure:

• A more solid foundation. We migrated to a centralized cloud-based identity and services platform. This gave us a central point for managing accounts and access, and for improving the security of our systems.
• Clear rules. We established guidelines regarding tools, safety, and work procedures that the entire company follows today.
• Computers Under Control. We began to centrally manage the company's computers—their configuration, security, and lifecycle.
• Connected tools. As the company adopted new applications, we integrated them using single sign-on and automatic user provisioning. This meant that granting access to a new user or revoking access when they left was no longer a manual, application-by-application process.

That same year, we launched an IT help desk. Rather than simply logging requests, it provided us with a process for addressing them based on their priority and impact, as well as data on the most common incidents. Using that information, we strengthened the platform and automated the resolution of the most common errors.

We also established a change management process: before making any changes, we assess their impact and communicate it, so that every change is transparent to users.

That year, the second person joined the department, and for the first time, IT ceased to be a one-person effort.

What this meant for the business: We transitioned from a people-dependent operation to a process-based one, with greater control, greater security, and clear rules for everyone.

2025: An ERP Tailored to the Operation

The largest project to date came in 2025: the implementation of our ERP. It wasn't just an installation project. It was a change in the way the entire company worked.

We customized the platform to reflect Telecom District’s operations, integrated it with the tools we were already using, and migrated the data and processes to the new environment. The result was a comprehensive financial overview of each project’s lifecycle—sales, revenue, and associated costs—all in one place.

We also centralize and automate financial reporting. Today, each department’s operating and capital expenditures (OPEX and CAPEX) can be viewed in one place.

That year, a new member joined the team, and we began using artificial intelligence to support the day-to-day work of the various departments.

What this meant for the business: a single source of financial information and a clearer perspective for making strategic decisions.

2026: From Using AI to Integrating It

Having centralized data isn't enough—we also need to analyze it and use it to make decisions. That's the role we assigned to artificial intelligence this year.

We are implementing a central system that combines information from the ERP with usage data from our tools. This allows us to know how much we are investing and whether that investment is justified.

From an IT perspective, that system connects to three components:

• Licenses: Which ones we have, who they're assigned to, and how often they're used.
• Equipment: its entire life cycle, from acquisition and assignment to replacement.
• Internal IT projects: how much they invest in terms of money and work hours, to evaluate their return on investment.

What this means for the business: investment decisions based on actual usage, not on assumptions.

Where Are We Headed?

Our next step is to build a more mature IT department, with the following priorities:

• A clear structure with defined roles and responsibilities.
• Policies that evolve along with the company's way of working.
• A more proactive approach to cybersecurity, using AI to detect incidents early and providing ongoing training so that everyone knows how to recognize risks.
• ISO 27001 certification, as a formal commitment to information security.
• Automate without losing the human touch, so that technology takes over repetitive tasks and people can focus on what drives the company's growth.

What We Learned Along the Way

Looking back, there are three ideas that guided our growth:

• First, order; then, scale. Centralizing identities, drafting policies, and logging every request isn't the most visible part of the process, but it's what allowed us to grow without losing control.
• Technology adapts to the business. The ERP system worked because we built it around our operations.
• IT not only provides support but also empowers. We've moved from solving problems to creating tools that help each department work more effectively.

From a side project in 2021 to a team driving the company's strategy in 2026: that's been the journey of IT at Telecom District. And we're just getting started.

Adrián Gómez
CIO · Telecom District
He has led the company's internal IT department since it was formally established in 2022.