Do you feel your company is not being strategic? Too many IT companies only provide support services, rather than being a strategic advisor to their clients. Yet, as companies grow and work to be more competitive in the marketplace, they are missing real opportunities to leverage technology to be more successful. To do that, you need a solid IT strategy.
Here are 5 immediate ways to be more strategic in your IT:
1. Dig into your processes. When being strategic is the goal, prioritizing business processes is key. Organizational growth requires collaboration on activities that accomplish a specific goal. If you’re a manufacturer, focus on the manufacturing process and the software needed to operate efficiently. Focus less on the day-to-day tasks and more on leveraging technology to enhance your processes.
2. Identify what doesn’t bring strategic value to your company. Tasks like patching servers, providing network support and moving email to the cloud are great examples of functions that could be easily outsourced without giving up intellectual capital. Freeing up employee time can move your IT towards collaborating strategically on business initiatives and provide a unique benefit.
3. Examine your storage needs. Data should be stored appropriately so that you aren’t using high cost storage for things that very rarely get looked at. Look closely at your storage needs and work with the departments in the organization to understand what storage is required for day-to-day business and what storage is there due to a retention policy. Use fast-acting storage for data that is used frequently and move stagnant data from on-premise to off-site for a more strategic solution.
4. Get compliance right the first time. Getting compliance right the first time will save time, hassles and headaches in the future. If you do business in a regulated industry, specialized compliance tools are essential to saving you the time and energy spent on compliance and protect you from costly fines. It can be very difficult to really understand and use compliance software effectively. We recommend that you work with an IT partner that can help you select the right tools and maintain them going forward.
5. Scrutinize costs. From a strategic perspective, it’s important to continuously review your big-ticket expenses. Having the right providers for recurring services like telecom and internet is crucial. For the internet, especially, a solid Internet backbone drives the majority of your business and you can’t operate strategically without it. It’s also imperative to compare actual costs to your budget and re-forecast if needed.
To leverage IT more effectively, you need to be strategic with your IT. Paying attention to these 5 steps help you come out of the day-to-day tasks and focus on the specific strategies that will make the best use of technology for your company.
Contact us to help you create a strategic advantage for your company.
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