Top Questions to Ask to Ensure Your IT Investments Make the Most Impact
IT is the heartbeat of your company. It runs your operations, services your customers and enables your employees. So how can you be sure the IT you have is bringing you the most value?
Consider some key elements impacting your technology dynamics today.
- Technology is a significant business expense. There is no getting around it, technology is an investment in your business success and growth. And it can be a significant investment. You need to ensure that the value it brings is balanced with the cost. When this metric is out of whack, it will be a drain on your business. When properly aligned, technology will enhance your growth and power business.
- Remote work has changed the game. The pandemic has changed the way, and place, in which we work. This means that employees need to have greater access to data, from anywhere they want to work, without bottlenecks that impact productivity. Properly aligned IT can support this trend. Without it, users can get frustrated, or worse, unknowingly expose the business to security threats or data breaches.
- Security is an ever-present threat. Speaking of security, even without the risk of working from home, cyberattacks and data breaches are at an all time high. Every business – no matter how big or small – is at risk. You must be prepared to defend from the unexpected security dangers regularly penetrating today’s networks.
- Unless IT is your business, it shouldn’t be consuming. Businesses have work to do, and in most cases running IT isn’t the core priority. You need IT to enable your success, but don’t need to spend your entire day doing it. In most cases, you don’t want to worry about IT. You need time to do what is more strategic for your company.
If these technology dynamics are on your mind, you need to assess whether you’re getting the value you need from your IT services. Top questions to ask?
- How often do you ask your technology provider for advice?
- When is the last time your provider recommended or implemented a new technology? Did it save you money?
- Does your provider offer the pros and cons of multiple options?
- Do you have transparency into software licenses?
- When was your technology updated?
- Do you have security controls, such as two factor authentication, to protect remote access?
- How often do you perform an independent security assessment?
- Do you have an incident response plan?
To help guide you through the steps to get more value from your IT, it’s best to trust an expert. An advisor that has deep experience in the intersection between business and technology will help you identify where your IT investments can make the most impact. The result will be a better, more efficient business, without any of the technology waste.
If you are curious about how your IT services compare to industry averages, take this IT Services self assessment. We’ll show you how your results align to others in your industry and help give you visibility into key areas where you can realize more value for your IT investments.
