IT consultants can help streamline your company’s IT infrastructure so you don’t have to worry about the potential pitfalls and costs of hiring an in-house IT staff. IT consultants can also provide fractional services that tailor your IT solutions to your company’s needs.
A 2016 study revealed companies lose around 1.8 billion dollars every year to faulty technology. With technology adoption increasing among companies across the globe, that number is expected to rise. So, what is IT consulting and how can it help your company? Continue reading to find out.
What Is an IT Consultant?
The term “IT consultant” refers to a technology professional who can guide clients through various technological projects that affect their business infrastructure. IT consultants often work for larger businesses that could benefit from guidance regarding software development, IT infrastructure, and other IT directives.
IT consultants should offer their clients continuous updates on how the industry changes and how they can stay ahead of those changes. They can recommend software updates and implement training protocols for your team.
What Type of Work Environment Do IT Consultants Operate In?
The work environment of an IT consultant will vary depending on the client they serve. They might work at a company that has its own office building or one that operates with a completely remote staff. For larger companies, IT consultants will often have to perform site visits to ensure they understand the company’s IT infrastructure. Independent IT contractors might complete some work at home while they make phone calls, perform research, and devise technology strategies for their clients.
What Services Do IT Consultants Offer?
In the broader sense, IT consultants offer various services. These include IT strategy, IT architecture, IT implementation, enterprise resource planning ERP services, systems integration, data analytics, IT security, and software management.
IT Strategy
IT strategy focuses on the initial phase of IT infrastructure analysis. In this stage, the consultant identifies the existing architecture and its flaws. From these, they can devise a solution. IT strategy is primarily the brainstorming phase in which the consultant brainstorms ideas.
This phase can take anywhere from two to three months, and examples of these types of projects might include corporate IT strategy, business cases for ERP systems, or designing cybersecurity solutions.
IT Architecture
IT architecture examines your company’s IT infrastructure and defines its technological blueprint. From this blueprint, the IT consultant can create business processes that align with that architecture. If your company needs more advanced architecture to fulfill its technological obligations, the IT consultant will issue recommendations.
An IT architecture consulting project typically lasts anywhere between 6 months to a year and they should occur before any implementation or systems integration. In these projects, consultants can identify the enterprise landscape, implement a service-oriented architecture, or guide architecture components to an outsourced team.
IT Implementation
IT implementation consulting guides companies on how they can best integrate new technologies into their existing infrastructure. Consultants can examine your existing infrastructure and avoid any potential IT uses.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Enterprise resource planning consulting services consist of activities that support clients’ design, implementation, or maintenance of ERP systems and modules. Critical components of this include ERP package selections, business process redesigns, and implementations of SAP or ORacle products.
Systems Integration
System integration domain looks at how different computing systems and software applications link and ensure the architecture functions cohesively. IT consultants ensure the ERP systems interact correctly with each other and tailor applications to run smoothly in the existing IT infrastructure.
Data Analytics
Data analytics describes a service in which the consultant can set up metrics and advise you on the best solutions for your business based on the analytics they utilize. This data can greatly simplify the strategy process.
IT Security
IT security consulting identifies your risk areas and devises a strategy to fulfill security and compliance responsibilities.
Software Management
Software management pertains to the management, purchase, deployment, maintenance, and utilization of any software applications within an organization. Business intelligence, workforce analytics, customer intelligence, data warehousing, and predictive modeling are all key components in software management.
Why Work with an IT Consulting Company?
Proven Expertise and Experience
Your business is unique, which is why you need a professional who understands how to tailor solutions to your needs. Consulting companies with experience will be able to view your business in an unbiased way and analyze your weaknesses based on what they see in the industry.
Your IT consulting company should have experience in your field. WHen they do, they will understand what works and what doesn’t and how to approach your company to achieve the best results.This previous experience will help you avoid any market challenges and offer tech solutions that minimize risk while maximizing returns. Choosing a firm with experience is the best way to secure your ROI.
Increased Time
As a company owner or manager, you have numerous responsibilities that require your attention. It’s not that you can’t attend to these responsibilities, but do you really need to worry about software management at the same time you’re orchestrating a huge product launch?
As the leader of a company, your responsibilities shouldn’t pertain to IT directives. An IT consultant can’t create a strategy that works for your company and your entire staff will benefit from the increased time you have to focus on more pressing initiatives. This increases efficiency, productivity, and above all, your bottom line.
On-Demand Resources
With your business’s rapid expansion, you need to be able to adapt fast. You need more on-demand support and guidance than ever. Not only will IT companies be able to give you on-demand support, most consultants feature scalable services. So, if you need more time and need more guidance one month, you can easily implement their offerings and see the benefits. Then next month, you can reduce their services.
Increased Productivity
When you don’t commit to IT consulting services, you unwittingly adopt the trial-and-error approach to your IT infrastructure. This doesn’t only show up in architecture inefficiencies, but in personnel inefficiencies as well. Why waste time hiring three in-house employees who may or may not have the required experience when you could hire one consultant who can streamline your entire IT department?
Your IT consultant will be able to orchestrate all other IT specialists so they know precisely what to do in any given situation. You can accomplish the same valuable insight without experiencing a dip in your team’s productivity.
Reduced Expenses
It might seem like your IT department consumes a hefty percentage of your yearly budget. If that’s the case, you should outsource portions of your IT department. But which ones?
It consultants will be able to advise you on the most critical areas to outsource in a predictable, manageable, and sustainable way. This works especially well with smaller companies who don’t have millions of dollars to work with. When you hire an IT consultant, they will be able to reduce any cost inefficiencies by limiting recruitment, vacation, sick days, and turnover rates.
Bottom Line- What Is IT Consulting and What Can IT Provide Your Company?
IT consulting can benefit your company in many ways. From full architecture analysis to systems integration and software implementation, IT consultants can simplify your IT department needs.
There are numerous benefits to IT consulting services and businesses of all sizes can utilize them to increase their bottom line. At Senroc Technologies, we pride ourselves on our ability to seamlessly integrate with businesses from all industries. Whether you have a small business and are unsure of what architecture you need or an enterprise-level company and want to streamline your IT personnel, we can help.
Contact us today to learn more about what our IT consulting services can do for your company.
