On a day when your company’s technology seems to be working at cross purposes with you, don’t succumb to the temptation to go back to the “good old days” of filing cabinets and rotary-dial phones. Technology DOES make us more nimble, and brings amazing efficiencies into your business, that were flat out impossible a quarter century ago.

Here are 5 steps you can take to integrate your company’s technology (and the people who take care of it) into your business processes and ensure that your technology is helping your company MAKE more money on an ongoing basis.

Step 1: Assess
If you’re going to make fundamental changes in how technology integrates with your business processes, you will need to establish a baseline. In other words, how can you get to the finish line without knowing where the starting line is?

You need a detailed and up to date diagram of EVERY element of your network – every server, every switch, hub, router, every user machine and every printer, and every connection.

Look at your company right now, and consider your existing IT infrastructure. If you were starting this business today, at this size, and building this IT Infrastructure from scratch, how would it differ from what you have now?

Chances are good it would look a whole lot different! Make a list of the things the “ideal” network would have, and then prioritize the list to determine what needs to be done right away, and what can be done next, and when.

What parts of the “dream network” are simply out of reach, and what are the second-best choices?

Step 2: Remediate
Doing your Assessment will reveal the gap between your existing IT infrastructure and your “dream” network. You want to close that gap to the fullest extent you can. This process will require the input of the company’s vision team, and the IT department.

Once you’ve established how your company can close the gap to implement the IT infrastructure that will fit within your budget and serve your company’s needs, the actual work of doing the remediation is a project that requires committed time and resources. Many companies with in-house IT staffs prefer to outsource this, because project management experience is important, and the amount of time required for the project is beyond the capacity of the company’s in-house IT staff.

To be continued…