A world of opportunity exists for owners across all business sectors to leverage and harness the power of technology, not only to help ensure the sustainability of their business, but,  where desired, to facilitate growth and assist them in taking it to the next level.

However, in some instances, the approach to IT and tech requirements can be reactive. IT is complicated and expensive, or so it is deemed. “It’s for big conglomerates with thousands of employees,” or “In my business there are only a few dozen of us, we don’t need anything fancy,” and possibly “Our resources don’t quite extend to the cost of expensive consultants or high salaries we don’t necessarily believe we need.” Consequently, for some, the manner of engaging with IT and technology can be responsive and limited – the purchasing of a new printer, email support when it goes down, et al.

It’s time to level the playing fields and provide all players across all business landscapes with the advantage and benefit of access to high level strategic guidance so often not available or financially viable. IT as a Business Tool is about so much more than a list of potential tech services made available by a myriad of IT service providers.

It’s about engaging with a partner who is able to assist businesses to ‘future proof’ their business, irrespective of tech ‘trends’ and always with the strategic mandate to ensure that business processes, structures and systems are streamlined, cost effective and employ the best tech tools to fulfil their business objectives. It is, however, most definitely NOT about ‘tech’ for the sake of tech. It is about ensuring an exact alignment between business requirements and then, the relevant technology solution(s).

But, how to achieve this and ensure IT as a real investment?

Engage with a partner with strategic intent, one who understands the need to look at the bigger picture and is focused on more than simply your immediate needs. To harness the true value of employing IT as a Business Tool, it is essential to initially take a step back and remove the tech conversation to gain as deep and holistic an understanding of the business as possible (short-, medium-, long-term goals; business processes and operations, growth and sustainability plans). Only then is your chosen partner able to truly provide effective and strategic guidance as to the relevant technology infrastructure and services required now and into the future.

IT as a Business Tool comes with multiple benefits

  • Access to ‘CTO’ type strategic guidance, otherwise not financially viable.
  • A holistic solution, capable not only of meeting your current technology needs but one that is as focused on tomorrow and next year, as it is focused on today.
  • Future proofing of the business, irrespective of ‘tech’ trends.
  • Input and guidance on the relevance of any current and/ or future IT trends thereby ensuring you either stay at the forefront of any technical developments that are essential to your business or, similarly, do not get caught up in ever evolving trends that would serve no relevance or purpose.
  • A relationship with ONE partner able to provide whatever technical requirements are needed, from strategic input and guidance through to delivery and implementation, thereby removing the need for multiple suppliers and vendors.
  • A cost-effective solution tailored to your requirements and cashflow.

IT is a powerful business tool and should be viewed as such. Consequently, for it to truly empower one’s business, it needs to be about so much more than reactive decisions.