What is an IT Strategy?
An IT strategy is a framework for how technology should be deployed to support your business’s goals and challenges.
This written document specifically identifies the following areas:
- Overview of the business’s IT, its objectives and approach to achieving its goal. Full inventory of IT infrastructure, and data systems (what is stored where) and identify areas that need reviewing today.
- What changes does the business need to take into account for the next time period (I suggest 12 months) and how will these changes affect existing technology infrastructure. (e.g. office move, new staff, new CRM?)
- What are the areas in the business where technology is creating challenges or limiting business growth?
- An awareness of external forces and innovations that may change approach. (e.g. global pandemic hitting microchip production creating worldwide shortages)
- What the existing cyber risks to the business are and what the business decides to do to mitigate them. (Do we have adequate cyber insurance? Are we confident our backups are working?)
- What will the agreed or preferred changes cost?
- Is there sufficient budget to undertake all of them?
- Are they agreed tasks and projects prioritised and agreed by the business decision makers?
These questions may be daunting in one hit, but any successful company needs to be attending to these issues – and then reviewing them periodically.
Why do I need an IT Strategy?
Let’s face it, tech is expensive.
Computers, mobiles, software subscriptions, backup systems and online marketing, for example, all cost money. And they are crucial to organisational operations.
To ensure a decent return on investment there are many factors that will inform you, as the decision maker/person with responsibility whether you are getting the value you should be getting.
• Are the ones in use the best ones for you?
• How do you know? Who have you asked?
• Does your management team agree?
Can you see how having a strategy with aims and plans allows you to see what the weak links are in your technology and what you need to do to resolve them?
But not having the right systems and protections in place can be even MORE expensive.
Inadequate backup can lead to data loss which could spell the end of your business or an expensive recovery process.
Inadequate cyber security could see your company have a data breach, leading to ICO fines, reputational damage and could in serious circumstances mean the cease of trading.
As part of your overall strategy, regular technology reviews allow your business to see what security your company is lacking and how to mitigate the gaps.
Once your organisation acknowledges the need for a written strategy, who is going to write it? Do you have appropriate resource within the business to produce it?
If not, can you outsource it to an IT company? (Yes, ITGUYS can help but please read on).
Having the strategy is not the end of the story; it is the beginning. The work involved in creating the strategy may be wasted if the strategy itself is not implemented.
Ensuring that one person takes overall responsibility for having it implemented introduces accountability – significantly improving the chances of what needs to be done being done.
If you would like to discuss the above further, you can easily contact us please call our office number – 020 7241 2255 or fill out our contact form, and we’ll quickly get back to you.
