When you build a house, the foundation stage is vital to the durability and longevity of the structure. The elements required to build a solid house include;
A good integral design, weathertight, protection – a place to feel safe…
The elements are the same to create a powerful IT Strategy – a robust design that is up to the task of supporting our infrastructure and company i.e. we wouldn’t have a roof made with straw that could collapse at any time and leave us vulnerable or walls that are not watertight that leak every time it rains.
IT strategy is the foundation stage of your commercial IT requirements.
We rely on technology so much and it is at the heart of many businesses. If something goes wrong with our IT it can have a catastrophic effect as we rely on technology for our day-to-day operations. Without it, businesses can lose money, hours and productivity.
Why having an IT Strategy is important for your business.
Creating an IT Strategy involves the same planning as writing a business plan or marketing strategy. An IT strategy focuses on how IT will help the business succeed.
The key components of an IT strategy are:
The goal of the strategy – without a vision or an end goal you won’t know where you are going and what needs to be implemented to get there. The goals of your IT Strategy will need to align with your overall business goals.
Review your existing strategy – Reviewing your existing strategy will help you to define what’s working and what’s not working and it will help you to determine where the problem areas are. How are your staff/teams using technology? What apps and software are they using? And which ones are providing the most value?
You don’t have to change everything and start from scratch you can adjust your existing strategy to work for your business.
Scope of your IT Strategy – Discuss the scope of your IT strategy with other key members of your business – Once you are aware that your current IT strategy isn’t working and you know what your vision for the company is and what your goals are for the strategy, it’s a good idea to discuss this vision with your team. It’s important that everyone is clear on what you would like to achieve as they may have some involvement with this process as well. They may need to learn new systems or software to help implement this strategy.
Create a roadmap for your strategy – this is where you may need to ask for help from a professional IT Company such as Ghost Enterprises. A roadmap will include information of all software and hardware you will need to have, these also may be department specific. Your HR team may need a different piece of software to your sales team for example. All these pieces will need to come together and fit just like a jigsaw puzzle to allow for a streamlined IT Strategy.
Measure the results – once you are happy with your roadmap and your goals for the IT strategy, you will need to check that this has made a positive impact in your business. Has the IT strategy helped you to reach your business goals? Has it saved time and money? it’s important to identify some key metrics and KPIs that you can use to benchmark and analyse the performance of your IT strategy over time.
The forethought and planning that goes into our IT strategy process provide the basis for the most suitable and successful IT and communications provision.
Our expertise and advice at the start of the IT planning process save organisations time and money by avoiding costly pitfalls or oversights, just like how a builder would think about the foundations of the house – watertight and insulated roof and walls, windows and doors for security and protection. By working collaboratively and really taking the time to understand your company’s needs, we can formulate an IT and communications strategy that is effective, efficient and designed to enhance every aspect of your business.
“So when you are safe and protected in your house, from outside attacks and from roofs caving in and walls leaking… think of Ghost and how we can help your business feel the same.”
Whether you’re launching a new venture or revaluating your current setup, our IT consultancy services should be where your journey starts.
Call us on 01245 208080 or email us at info@ghostenterprises.co.uk to discuss how we can help you to implement a successful IT strategy.
– By Justine Maher