Sunday, 11 August 2013

Why An IT Strategy Is Important For The Contemporary Firm

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.

Whilst it's common policy for some firms to draft formal documents with their plans and goals, some choose not to. Those companies that do put their plans in writing need to make sure that they are flexible. The reason for is that business is always changing and so are organizations. If the plans are flexible, then things like budget constraints and changing business priorities can be factored easier into a plan if it's flexible.

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.

The aim of HCM, known as human capital management, is to see employees in a different light. HCM views them as valuable resources that can be enhanced by additional training and continuing education. They are seen as company assets that can appreciate in value under the right circumstances. The way this is done is twofold: employees must know what is expected from them and employers much give encouragement, feedback and the ability to offer continued training.

An important part of the whole process is enterprise risk management, known simply as ERM. The avoidance of loss in any firm is important and ERM is concerned with this above all else. Although a balance needs to be maintained between maximizing profits and avoiding losses, the primary focus of ERM is to control, plan and organize the company finances so that any future losses can be avoided. The idea is to avoid loss connected with strategy and operations, as well as those accidental losses that can occur in business.

The way a firm identifies and minimizes business uncertainty, as well as legal liabilities, is called vendor risk management(VRM). Risk management dictates that a company adopts VRM policies that apply to external contractors. When a firm buys IT products and hires vendors to run their information technology services, it's essential they can trust the outside firm, especially when sensitive data is involved.

A vital part of any planning is cost management. Firms will often apply this to certain projects as well as to their entire business. Projects are often easier because the numbers are usually smaller than the overall budget of the firm. The actual costs of the project are monitored against the projections, which should help keep costs down and provide an indication of how to keep costs of future projects down.

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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