Friday, 16 August 2013

Why An IT Strategy Is Crucial For The Modern Firm

By Dawson Flemming


IT strategy encompasses several different aspects of technology management. The most important facets are cost management, risk management and human capital management. Robust leadership is needed from the Chief Technology Officer to implement these facets, as is the ability to work with the heads of the legal, budget and other departments.

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.

Business technology management (BTM) has to be embraced by the firm. There are some firms that do not have information technology. These companies have to outsource to ones that specialize in IT. So if your company provides services that help other companies, such as mailing services, database services, document services and network management, implementing BTM will make you run them with more efficiency.

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.

You will find tips for creating an IT strategy, as well as cost-effective risk-management plans, on the internet. The bottom line is that balanced risk-taking is all about collecting information and making informed decisions about where to invest resources. The firm should constantly monitor and evaluate their employees and outside contractors so that they know exactly what is expected. The same goes for investments and the budget of the firm.




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