Technology is a project, and projects require plans. We’ll break down the elements of creating – or reviewing – your organization’s IT plans. No matter the size of your business or its stage of development, get tips for success and ways to seek support for each step of your company’s technology evolution.
Part 1 of 3: Assessing your current environment
These days, when you drive your car from one location to the next, you can enter your destination into your GPS device. The GPS device calculates the distance, routes, and arrival time – the critical information you need to get from here to there. The piece of data that drives all the other information in that journey? Your current location.
When we’re talking about GPS, your current location – and the path to your destination – is triangulated through sophisticated satellite interactions. When we’re talking about your company’s technology needs, the work falls on your team to take a look at where you are, with an eye toward the next destination.
Why does charting a path for your company’s technology matter? If one thing is certain in technology, it’s that there is no final destination – in fact, it’s really more of a moving target that must be constantly evaluated to ensure you are meeting your business requirements. The logical first step toward that target is to gain a strong understanding of your existing environment and current network. It will serve as the starting point for your technology project plans, which connect with all aspects of your business’s security, success, and growth. It will help you create a budget to align with your business needs and goals.
Technology assessments cover everything IT, including cloud, network, security, and more. They can be tailored to account for eCommerce, SaaS, and online products and services. They can be simple or sophisticated, and they can ultimately help shape your goals and aspirations.
So where should you begin?
- Inventory everything. Document all of the technologies that your company currently uses. Detail the age and condition of every piece of hardware. Record the software versions and any ancillaries.
- Talk to people. Ask your staff productivity questions like: How do you use technology in your workflow? What kinds of things would make your workflow better? What do you wish the technology did better? Is training sufficient? Document your results.
- Have real conversations about your company’s resources. The team charged with performing the inventory needs to begin to evaluate: Is our overall technology budget enough? Will there be enough maintenance and support for evolving technology? Are the employees open to technology advancement? What other challenges exist?
These three steps above will capture your current location – and, just like GPS, will serve as a starting point for subsequent decisions that we’ll discuss in our next blog: Identifying your priorities, determining your needs, and building recommendations.
Want help developing your technology assessment? At Moruga we understand IT challenges and requirements. We offer customized professional services and IT Assessments that exceed expectations regardless of complexity, utilizing our decades of experience across every conceivable industry. Moruga’s IT assessments, architecture and design, security compliance, migration planning, disaster recovery and more will exceed your short and long-term IT objectives. Connect with us today.
Be sure to check back soon for our next blog: Identifying your priorities, determining your needs, and building recommendations.