New Year, New IT – best practices for assessing your company’s IT environment

“New year, new me” is a common colloquialism around this time in the season. But how often do we hold ourselves to our New Years resolutions? And how frequently do we bring new goals and a willingness to grow in our workplaces? We pulled up some best practices and questions to ask yourself as you think about running a successful IT environment.  

Some considerations for the New Year 

1. Budgeting and Planning - Does your organization have an IT budget?  Seems like a silly question, but you would be surprised at the number of companies that have the “ask Mom or Dad for money” approach to IT Spend.  Sometimes it is rolled under “Office Administration.”   IT is a strategic investment, and having a sound budget gives leaders an idea of what they can spend on technology initiatives to keep the company moving forward. 
2. Team Goals – What are you expecting out of IT?  Some organizations have a, “make sure nothing breaks” approach for IT, and that’s it.  It is important to understand that “keeping the lights on” is a strategic activity.  Topics such as PC refresh, security training, and software lifecycle management are all initiatives that need planning.   If the team has no idea what the big picture is for IT, how can they effectively execute?  Set goals that are measurable, so they can be tracked and managed. 
3. Staff Development – Are you investing in your IT staff from a learning and growth perspective? Like death and taxes, digital change is a certain thing.  Encourage staff to attend conferences, listen to their peers speak at events or online, take classes, and stay up to date with the latest IT and data news. Yes, it takes time away from the office, but it will help you and your company be at the top of your game.  
4. Is it a Technology Problem or a Process Problem – Sometimes, companies have great technology, but antiquated or inefficient processes that hamper use of these systems. When taking time to evaluate your IT department, don’t forget to evaluate the business processes that the department supports.  Streamlining your processes will often help lower your need for technology complexity and save you money in the long run. 
5. How many “IT Projects” does your company have – The answer should be ZERO.  Surprised?  Every initiative in IT should be tied to a company value or business initiative.   An effective IT department works on business projects, not tech initiatives. 

What can Solvaria do? 

An organizational assessment is always helpful, no matter the season.  
 

A full-scale assessment covers the following questions: 

• What are the critical IT systems and services required to support current and future business processes? 
•  What is the current state of these systems and services in terms of: architectural best practices, stability, maintainability, ability to scale with your organization’s growth, flexibility to adjust to changing business conditions, and quality assurance?   
• What is your organization’s future state vision for these systems, and can they deliver? 
• What are the best practices to mitigate risk and close gaps? 

• When (and to what degree) should the components of the vision be implemented? 
• What are the technologies needed to support these components? What are the training and process implications based on these technologies? 
• What is the roadmap from the perspectives of organization, processes, and technologies? 

2023 is as successful as you make it. Let’s hold ourselves to resolutions both in and out of the workplace, digitally and interpersonally. It’s going to be a phenomenal year. Because we said so.