Friday 30 August 2013

Why An IT Strategy Is Crucial For The Contemporary Business

By Dawson Flemming


To have a successful IT strategy you need to make sure the various aspects of your plan are laid out on paper. These aspects include, but are not limited to, human capital management, cost management and risk management. It's up to the firm's Chief Technology Officer to make sure that he provides strong leadership by working with other departments in pursuit of creating and implementing a sound plan.

It's essential that a company put all their plans in writing. Putting them down on paper makes them seem that much more real, plus it gives staff something tangible to focus on, because words are not always enough. The crucial things is to make sure that all plans have a degree of flexibility to them. In business things like budgets and business priorities change. A plan that can be adapted is therefore a must.

If you run a company that outsources technology to other firms then you'll probably need business technology management, also known as BTM. Generally, a firm that has BTM usually provides document services, database services and mailing services for other companies. BTM allows them to run these services more efficiently.

Human capital management (HCM) aims to treat humans as assets and not just employees. The main thrust of the idea is that employees, as assets, can increase in value if they are given ongoing training and told exactly what is expected of them. A system of constant feedback towards staff is essential if HCM is to be effective.

An aspect of information technology planning that is often underrated is ERM, also known as enterprise risk management. It involves controlling, organizing and planning the finances in order to avoid future losses. This includes not only those risks connected to accidental losses, but to those connected to operational and strategic losses. The idea is to balance risk-taking with sound financial decisions that make money.

Outsourcing is an important part if business. However, if you have outside firms doing some of the work for your company then you'll probably need a VRM, a vendor risk management. VRM plans focus on minimizing the risk that outside contractors can pose for your business, especially ones dealing with sensitive and secret information.

Cost management involves making projections about the cost of a project and then monitoring those costs every step of the way. Projects are much easier to monitor because they usually involve much smaller amounts than the overall budget of a firm. Once a company has completed a project they will often study the actual costs versus the projections to see how they can reduce costs.

A successful IT strategy involves constant monitoring of staff, contractors, budgets and investments. Each facet needs to have its own goals, which should be communicated to the heads of department. If you're stuck for how to devise a plan then you'll find concrete strategies for an information technology plan on the internet.




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