IT Strategies- Be Proactive

What is the single most important aspect to keep your business operating?  Arguments could be made for a dedicated workforce, the machinery, or a checkbook in the black.  Now think of a time when your computer didn’t work as it should.  What did you do?  Waited for IT assistance (if you have an IT person!), maybe you leafed through the stack of magazines piling up, chatted with a co-worker or cleaned some files.  If your business is in the 21^st century (and we hope it is!) then your information systems are keeping your business moving forward.

Information Systems keep the dedicated staff connected to each other, track and schedule orders so the machinery can make products and ensures the expected funds are in your account.  It is clear this is an important part of your business and yet, this is often a neglected aspect of a business.  It is easy to do quick fixes, get a new computer or install a new software program.  Just like everything else in your business you need an Information Technology strategy.

Developing a strategy is the first step to being proactive.  IT strategies need to fit with a business strategy to allow the organization to grow.  Just like cars, information systems require some maintenance to operate properly.  Failure to perform the preventive measures can be detrimental to the system.  A well-written Information Technology Strategic Plan will pave the way for your company to facilitate its computer changes and implementation.

So what are the key parts of an IT strategy?
A good Information Technology Strategy often contains the following components:

• Opportunities and Drivers - This is the critical section that will link the overall business with IT and it will outline the critical internal IT objectives.   It will outline the strategic ways that IT can enable the business including both cost reduction and revenue generation.  The Information Technology Strategy will also outline the fundamental internal IT objectives such as cost reduction, talent retention, skill retaining and more.
• Project Portfolio - The project portfolio will describe the current and future IT projects and their dependency on each other.  The major projects should be tied to the corporate planning process.
• Enterprise Architecture - The enterprise architecture will provide an overall road map and direction that includes an application architecture, infrastructure architecture and process architecture.  It should clearly give direction on both the technology in place today and the technology that will be put in place over the next 2 to 5 years.
• Management and Governance - This covers both the organization and the process for managing IT in the enterprise.  It should result in an ongoing, disciplined way for managing investments from idea generation through realization of business results.

Read more tips on a successful IT strategy on our IT page.

Technology has become much more complex to manage making it more essential than ever before that you have the right mix of people, process, software, and hardware in place to maximize your technology investment.  The correct mix can give you the peace-of-mind that you are getting a return on investment with your technology expenditures while allowing you the freedom to focus on running your business.

How healthy is your IT?  Be proactive to find out- attend the Health Care for IT event on February 24.  Click here for details.