Step 4: Explore Solutions
Now that you have determined your business needs and what it means to meet them, it is time to explore IT solutions. What can the organization do in order to meet those defined needs and reach your set goals? A few solutions may include:
- Purchasing new software or software updates
- Replacing obsolete hardware
- Providing general or focused training for the staff
- Replacing or customizing a database
- Assessing Managed Services as an IT solution
- Utilizing outside expertise
- Developing policies and procedures for using computers
- Implementing backup systems and security measures
Let’s look back at some of our needs – expected growth, new compliance regulations, and tools to complete overall goals for the year (which can include increased operational efficiencies, financial resources or an improved company culture.) Now take a look at the current resources such as equipment, IT staff, internal policies and processes. You may have some of the resources you need in place but it is likely, especially if this is your first true look at IT, you will need additional resources or refined solutions.
The key here is to focus as much on the Support (or People) and Processes as on the Technology itself. Remember your IT support team is only as good as the individual people and the tools that you provide them. To have great IT support you need to hire great people, enable your IT team with great tools and processes or look into support as a Service. Having processes in place to make sure all the regularly needed maintenance and monitoring is being done, as a Service Provider would do, is so critical in today’s environment. Your technology is only as good as the care, support and end user training you provide on it.
The next piece is what everyone wants to be doing… projects! Implementing all your solutions which will help the organization meet long term goals are very important (this is where executives often put the most emphasis). Sometimes internal staff can get tied up in the projects and day to day fixes that they let the proactive management duties go. Once these solutions are installed correctly then they must be monitored and managed to proactively keep them up and running which may be the most important but more difficult part. With all the tasks thrown at IT these days weighing the use of a managed IT support provider to help you stay ahead of the curve isn’t a bad idea.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about managed IT support or take a look at some additional information here.
