As the first step in developing, updating or adapting an IT strategy, we encourage our clients to identify the broader IT requirements for present and future operations. This can include issues such as Cyber Security, Disaster Recovery, Cloud or SaaS solutions, Data Storage and IT support. You have to be aware of your competitive environment, the direction of both your field and the technology you’ll be adopting, proper methods for managing these assets, the overarching infrastructure and design, amongst a myriad of other aspects. Effective IT consulting can alleviate these grey areas.

Building for the Future

The most innovative (and most cost-effective) IT solutions are developed when they are created in conjunction with a long-term business plan. At a high-level, we need to understand how the business relies on IT for it’s overall success today, and how IT will be leveraged to meet multi-year goals. Then we look to solve gaps in infrastructure, daily IT Support or Help Desk, and plan for future scalability from department to department. Marketing, accounting, HR and operations we are looking to introduce technology that supports workforce efficiency including software and data integration, and communication tools. Done right, an IT Strategy should optimize a business by reducing operating costs, manual labour, and by providing a business owner with the competitive advantage of real-time visibility into the effectiveness of the overall organization.

Creating a Balance

During the IT audit and discovery phase, typically we are looking to strike a balance between working with existing technologies, building custom software solutions, or working with the most effective off the shelf software. It’s normal for business or product owners to stick with a single solution for their organization or service, but we look for a number of ways where we can cut IT Infrastructure costs by using multiple technologies, especially Cloud based solutions. Understanding a hybrid approach that may include a mix of different platforms or a unique build is important in creating the initial strategy that your IT efforts will be built on. Every infrastructure needs a strong foundation.

Strategic Planning

With in-depth industry knowledge and experience, IT consulting should allow for a more pre-planned strategic execution: a purpose-driven approach by industry leaders who have studied your company and couple that familiarity with their technical experience. This greatly aids in helping make informed decisions based on both business and tech sector recommendations, instead of making it based on preconceived ideas or purely business-based concerns. An agency or independent professional engaged in IT consulting who utilizes both technological and business expertise would not only have a wider breadth of experience but would also be able to help bridge the gap between the two faculties.

Advantages of Collaboration

Everyone wins when the whole organization contributes to the solution. Ideally, the more information on your day-to-day processes, departmental pain points, and data needs, the more effective the solution. For organizations that are transitioning from small to medium size work-force, it is easier get the whole organization involved in the solution and adopting it when it’s created. It also allows us to avoid introducing technology that favours one department over another.