During a conference in 2015, former Cisco CEO John Chambers made a grim prediction to an audience of business leaders. He said that 40% of businesses in attendance would “not exist in a meaningful way” in the next decade unless they figure out how to use technology to their benefit. He added that of the 70% that would try, 30% would fail.

Fast-forward to this year: Was his forecast spot on? Although a revisit has yet to be done as of this writing, the acumen of a man who oversaw over 180 fruitful mergers and a nearly 40-fold spike in the company’s market value is at least worth heeding. Technology is inevitable and integral—and anyone not seizing the opportunity will be left in the dust.

However, planning and building a tech stack is easier said than done. There are plenty of ways for the process to go sideways, such as procuring inadequate assets or disregarding compliance requirements. To avoid such risks, you’d want to involve an IT consulting partner in drawing up a well-defined IT strategy.

Plotting A Technology Roadmap

Business success doesn’t happen overnight, especially when a company’s tech needs are extensive. Strategic IT consulting is all about plotting its “baby steps” to achieving its short and long-term organizational goals using technology.

As much as a business owner wants to work with a fully built tech stack right off the bat, it takes time to build one. Certain upgrades may necessitate shutting the system down for a time, which can disrupt operations (unless a backup is made ready). Furthermore, the high upfront and overhead costs prompt most companies to spread out their technology investments in stages.

Strategic IT consulting is done at the executive level, often between the chief information officer (CIO) and IT outsourcing companies in Albany and other areas. The composition of an IT strategy varies by expert, but Gartner cites three key areas to focus on when planning.

• Context: the business environment, including internal and external factors
• Direction: the business’s short- and long-term objectives and principles
• Actions: methods and metrics needed to move toward the specified direction

It’s also worth noting that an IT strategy isn’t the same as an IT strategic plan. Gartner says the former lays out the long-term vision for the business’s IT goals, whereas the latter sets the actions for achieving the mid-term goals. Still, along with short-term operational plans, both aspects must be aligned and adaptable to changing circumstances. To put it simply, there can be no strategy without actionable plans. Similarly, plans that lack context, direction, or action can’t combine into an effective strategy.

Benefits to Businesses

With technology embedded in all but every facet of daily life. Including running a business, maintaining a suitable tech stack is paramount. No matter how much tech your current IT infrastructure needs, when it’s designed for a business’s needs,. A properly built tech stack always leads to increased productivity and decreased downtime—all for long-term cost savings. That said, building one entails plenty of questions that even CIOs don’t necessarily have the best answers to. Good executives are aware that they aren’t know-it-alls and aren’t afraid to work with Centralink experts when the situation calls for it. You’d be surprised at what strategic IT consulting can do to ensure continuous growth.

Staying Updated

The rate at which technology is advancing is unprecedented, and C-level executives are worried about keeping up with the times. In Accenture’s Pulse of Change survey last year, over half of business leaders said they weren’t fully prepared to respond to changes that would come, especially technological disruptions. For IT consultants, staying updated on the latest in business-related technologies is a no-brainer. Explaining current technological trends and innovative solutions based on the client’s needs and circumstances is part of the—if not the entire—job. Companies big and small won’t always have the resources to monitor changes in the current IT landscape closely.

Alignment with Business Objectives

Disconnects between business and IT strategies happen more often than you think. When they do, they significantly degrade a business’s overall performance, even if it started strong. Research by Harvard marketing experts indicates that misaligned companies can suffer huge performance drops. Even when they start out strong. IT consultants are obligated to understand a company’s mission and vision. Only through this can they develop a suitable roadmap that includes all the milestones and investments that will bring a competitive advantage. Business owners may know their mission and vision best, but IT consultants bring the means to make them happen.

Cybersecurity Management

Building a tech stack is more than just having the tallest one. In fact, the more tech added to the stack, the more backdoors a hacker can use to enter the business’s IT system unnoticed. Not to mention the hardware or software becomes a waste if it’s barely used and helps mask any unauthorized entry. Given potential risks and more, it isn’t unusual for strategic IT consulting companies to consider cybersecurity in strategy planning. Processes include identifying potential and current risks, installing the necessary protective measures, and monitoring the system and broader Web for threats.

Regulatory Compliance

Businesses in certain industries such as finance and healthcare are required to adhere to data privacy laws. Data compliance is crucial to providing consumers with peace of mind, knowing that their information is in responsible hands. Also, it’s mandatory in 137 countries, including the U.S. and all EU member states. However, without an industry professional to help navigate, data privacy laws are a labyrinth of legal and technical jargon. Businesses can be fined for non-compliance without knowing they’re being non-compliant. Reliable technology partners take time to learn the different laws to avoid such a costly scenario.

Disaster Recovery

One of the gravest mistakes businesses can make is thinking that having a state-of-the-art tech stack makes it immune to disasters. Not only is there no such thing as an impervious firewall, but also anything artificial is prone to damage caused by natural calamities and other unforeseen events. Strategic IT consulting takes these scenarios into account and creates contingency plans. In doing so, a business can continue operating at a limited capacity while it strives to return to normal operations. It understands that every minute a business isn’t doing business is hundreds or thousands in missed revenue.

Conclusion

Modern businesses would be remiss not to depend on strategic IT consulting to help them survive and thrive in the digital landscape. Planning and expert advice are their craft, and sustainable growth is their objective.

nandbox App Builder

Through skilled guidance and customized solutions, IT consulting helps companies maximize their technological infrastructure, simplify processes, and stimulate innovation. Through cooperation with an IT consulting firm, businesses can use modern technology, raise system performance, and strengthen security. IT consulting services can enable companies to construct strong, custom mobile apps fit for their particular requirements when combined with the nandbox App Builder. Together with IT consultancy, the nandbox platform guarantees that companies may implement scalable, safe, and effective no-code mobile apps, therefore enabling quick development and optimal performance and user experience.