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Monday, February 3, 2014

Why A Business Needs To Have An IT Strategy In Place

By Dawson Flemming


When computers first came into the workplace, no thought was given to the software programs that were being used, as compatibility was not an issue. The reason being that most communication was still done face-to-face, or by telephone. As information technology has begun to dominate companies throughout the world, there is a greater emphasis on electronic communication and data transfer, therefore an IT strategy must eliminate non-compatibility issues and increase efficiency.

The problems that most companies have when trying to develop a coherent strategy for their business is mainly historical. As departments had grown within the business, each manager was responsible for the software used within their team. They did not pay much heed to whether it was going to be compatible with any other part of the company. This problem has become exaggerated as businesses merge.

The plan that is going to be implemented requires high-level approval. The participants should include all the business managers and the IT manager. Prior to this meeting the IT managers should determine all the issues that have been raised with the equipment that is currently in use. A budget should be set by the business managers that reflects the goals of the company.

The IT department must also aim to make the best use of what is already available within the business. Whilst doing this, the budget must be taken into account. This phase can be extremely subjective, and it might be wise to enlist the assistance of an external consultant who will probably have a better idea of all the technology on the market that can be used.

A major part of implementing an IT strategy successfully is good communication with everybody who is to be affected. It could be that managers of very specialised departments can see problems that are not obvious to the strategists. Some people will go out of their way to delay any changes, however, if the reason for change is communicated correctly problems should be averted.

Projects of this kind can also be influenced by external forces. Technology and user requirements are changing all the time so a risk assessment of the overall strategy must be made. Because of this, it is wise to work to milestones and be prepared to tweak the strategy to keep the plan progressing to a satisfactory conclusion.

Even contemplating a new strategy within their companies technology infrastructure can be so daunting that businesses put it on hold. The thought of budgets spiralling out of control, and business lost due to departments being off-line do not help. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, consider discussing the project with a company that specialises in developing strategies of this kind. These companies often offer a guarantee and a maintenance contract to iron out any initial problems.

The main purpose of developing an IT strategy is to ensure that a company; however widespread, can communicate and work together efficiently. This will ensure that there is a more dependable system, and therefore, easier to support. This is the aim of every company and with careful planning and communication, it is possible to achieve this goal.




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