The Dynamic Impact of Reviewing & Benchmarking your IT.
In today's dynamic business, technology reigns supreme, powering every facet of operation. From nimble start-ups to global juggernauts, the IT framework stands as the bedrock, propelling efficiency, productivity, and competitive edge.
Yet, a mere reliance on an in-house IT team or outsourcing support falls short of ensuring optimal performance or protection against relentless, evolving threats.
That's where an independent IT review will come into play. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the importance of conducting an independent IT review, including how often reviews should be carried out and what should be included within the review process.
Why Conduct an Independent IT Review?
1. Ensuring Optimal Performance
Your IT systems are the lifeline of your organisation, and any downtime or performance issues can have significant repercussions on your operations and bottom line. Whether you have an internal IT department or rely on outsourced IT support, conducting an independent review will help ensure that your systems are operating at peak performance. The review can identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and areas for improvement, enabling you to optimise your IT infrastructure for maximum efficiency.
2. Enhancing Cybersecurity Measures
With cyber threats becoming increasingly sophisticated and prevalent, protecting your organisation's data and assets is more critical than ever. An independent IT review will assess the effectiveness of your cybersecurity measures, whether managed internally or through outsourced support. By identifying possible vulnerabilities and gaps in your defences, the review will enable you to strengthen your security posture and safeguard against potential breaches or attacks.
3. Maximising ROI on IT Investments
Investing in IT infrastructure and services represents a significant financial commitment for any organisation. Conducting an independent IT review will help ensure that you're getting the most value out of your investments, whether you have an internal IT department or outsource IT support. By evaluating the cost-effectiveness of your IT solutions, identifying areas of overspending or underutilisation, and optimising resource allocation, the review can enable you to maximise ROI and minimise unnecessary expenses.
4. Holding IT Staff / Providers Accountable
Whether you rely on an internal IT department or outsourced IT support, it's essential to hold your IT providers accountable for delivering on their promises. An independent IT review will provide an objective assessment of your IT providers' performance, adherence to service level agreements (SLAs), and alignment with your organisation's objectives. By identifying areas for improvement and addressing any discrepancies or shortcomings, the review will help ensure that your IT meets your expectations and delivers the level of service you require.
If you feel any the following are true, you should be getting a second point of view asap:
- My IT provider doesn’t really understand our business
- We get poor or irregular communication, or no communication at all
- Our systems have issues and are not performing as they did
- We’re receiving poor service levels
- Response times are far too long
How Often Should You Conduct an Independent IT Review?
The frequency of conducting an independent IT review will depend on various factors, including the size and complexity of your organisation, industry regulations, and technological advancements. However, it never hurts to get a free health check and quickly benchmark your organisations position: Here are some general guidelines:
Internal IT Department:
Annual Reviews: For organisations with an internal IT department, conducting annual reviews is typically sufficient to ensure that systems are running smoothly, cybersecurity measures are up to date, and IT investments are delivering maximum value.
Biannual Reviews: In industries with rapidly evolving technology or stringent regulatory requirements, biannual reviews may be warranted to stay ahead of emerging risks and compliance obligations.
Outsourced IT Support Contract:
Quarterly Reviews: For organisations that rely on outsourced IT support, conducting quarterly reviews can help ensure that IT providers are meeting their contractual obligations, addressing any issues or concerns promptly, and maintaining alignment with your organisation's objectives.
Biannual Reviews: In addition to quarterly reviews, biannual reviews may be necessary to assess long-term performance trends, identify areas for improvement, and ensure that IT providers continue to deliver the level of service you require.
Ultimately, the frequency of independent IT reviews should be tailored to your organisation's specific needs, priorities, and risk tolerance.
What Should be Included in the Review Process?
Regardless of whether you have an internal IT department or outsource IT support, a comprehensive IT review should encompass the following key areas:
Infrastructure Assessment: Evaluate the performance, scalability, and reliability of your IT infrastructure, including hardware, software, and network components.
Cybersecurity Audit: Assess the effectiveness of your cybersecurity measures, including firewalls, antivirus software, intrusion detection systems, and employee training programmes.
Compliance Review: Ensure compliance with industry regulations and standards, such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and SOX, as well as any contractual obligations with clients or partners.
Performance Evaluation: Evaluate the performance of your IT provider/department, including adherence to SLAs, responsiveness to support requests, and overall satisfaction with the level of service provided.
Cost Analysis: Analyse IT expenditures, identify cost-saving opportunities, and optimise resource allocation to maximise ROI and minimise unnecessary expenses.
By including these key elements in the review process, you can gain a holistic understanding of your organisation's IT landscape and make informed decisions to drive efficiency, mitigate risks, and foster long-term success.
My IT is ok, there’s no issues!
It always is, until there is! The vast majority of the time, your IT department or outsourced provider will be adequately managing your IT technology. Computers will be humming with activity, your staff plodding along happily, business output will be steady and there’ll be no issues. If this is you, the real question should be, is adequate something I aspire to? If you’re a business owner or hold a senior position within your organisation the answer will undoubtably be no!
Bear with us on this; but if, as the saying goes, “a bad craftsman, blames his tools”, in contradiction, the opposite should also be true; and “a good craftsman will be singing about his tools” as they allow his/her best work, yeah? This is also true with IT, the better your devices, software and processes, the more productive, happy and prosperous the business is likely to be. Gone are the days where financial constraints dictate the operational tools a business can use, and now more so than ever, with the right technology and IT partner, small businesses are able to punch well above their weight and compete with larger corporations and on a global stage.
Our recommendation: challenge the status quo, get a personalised IT review to see if you're in a position to sing about your IT.
Conclusion
In conclusion, conducting an independent IT review will provide an instant snap shot of your organisations IT performance, cybersecurity measures, identify your ROI on IT investments, and could help you hold IT staff and providers accountable, thus allowing your business to capitalise on opportunities, and position your organisation for long-term success.
If you would like any further advice or support on any IT , issues, systems or practices, please book a complimentary discovery call using the link below.
