Develop an IT Strategy

Mark Williams of Pensar asks what is an IT strategy and what are the benefits?

An IT strategy is a comprehensive plan that encompasses a business’ vision and strategic roadmap for IT. Including objectives, principles, tactics and goals, an effective IT strategy will focus on improving the IT infrastructure and services as well as plans for future development.

With an effective IT strategy, your business can reap a plethora of benefits:

• Enhanced data collection, processing, governance and analytics

• Strengthened cybersecurity and increased protection of data

• Streamlined communication across employees improves processes

• Increased efficiency and productivity

Steps for an Effective IT Strategy

Outlined below are eight simple steps to help ensure you implement an effective IT strategy

1. Outline Specific Objectives

First and foremost, an effective IT strategy should be tailored toward the overall goals and requirements of your business. Thus, the first step in any IT strategy should be to outline and understand the goals and requirements of each department within your business, as well as your overall goals and requirements. Once this holistic understanding has been achieved, an IT strategy specifically moulded to the makeup of the business can be devised; and maximum efficiency and success can be achieved.

If you don’t have someone within your organisation, engage an outsourced CIO (sometimes known as a Virtual Chief Information Officer or vCIO) to deliver essential business advice and offer the best solutions for your business. They consult on a range of aspects such as:

• Budget requirements

• Business targets

• Industry expectations and trends

• Existing infrastructure

• Employee needs or concerns

• Goals for the future

2. Understand Latest Technological Trends

An IT strategy should not only focus on improving current business needs, but also forecast future industry developments to support your business’ ongoing progression. To achieve this, an understanding of the latest technological trends is required. This can be obtained from key stakeholders across departments who can tell you how they’re using technology and what the specific requirements needed for growth are. This will enable your business to remain competitive in all areas; utilising a well-detailed and comprehensive IT strategy to deliver industry-leading service.

Ideally, find people who are equipped with the knowledge and sector-specific expertise to design you a bespoke plan adapted to your industry and specific needs.

3. Define IT Requirements and Timescale

Once the business objectives and future projection have been outlined, an accurate timescale within which these goals are to be achieved must be decided. This will ensure the IT strategy addresses not only current business requirements, but also the future direction of your business. To make sure the long-term vision is met, milestones should be implemented along the way with regular periods to review the progress and effectiveness of the IT strategy.

4. Audit IT Requirements and Infrastructure

An effective IT strategy should have minimal disruptions and be cost-efficient. For this to be achieved, an audit of your IT requirements and the infrastructure available must be completed. From this, gaps and shortcomings can be identified and avoided, paving the way to a smooth and successful future.

5. Map Out the IT Architecture

With the aforementioned steps having been carried out, you now understand your IT position, what infrastructure is in place, and the direction needed. The next step is to map out the IT architecture that will drive your business toward its end goal. This is required of each specific department and must be integrated into the holistic needs of the business; this will allow you to obtain an understanding of how your entire IT infrastructure fits together.

6. Define and Analyse KPIs

To know if an IT strategy is effective or not, a set of KPIs must be defined and analysed. This enables you to understand if you’re heading in the right direction and achieving the specific business objectives you predicted.

7. Obtain Financial Budget

Now that the IT strategy has been designed, there must be financial support in place to execute it. Outsourcing your IT can regulate your spending and save you money because IT providers normally have the expertise to optimise your technologies and the experience to identify price-conscious and proportionate solutions. With their recommendations, you can improve efficiency and boost your performance all whilst reducing costs.

8. Ensure the Right Resources are in Place

The final stage is making sure that the right resources are in place to see your strategy through. Whether that is using internal resources or by outsourcing, you need to ensure you have the right tools in place to achieve the ambitious objectives of your IT strategy.

To talk about your strategy, you can contact Mark at Pensar Systems Ltd: 0333 006 9550 www.pensar.co.uk - hello@pensar.co.uk