Rapid advancements in IT over the past several years have led to many business leaders embracing technology as a driver of success rather than a necessary evil. Although this evolution presents an exciting opportunity for organizations to use IT to enable better business outcomes, it can also be intimidating to navigate the ever-evolving landscape. Without a clear vision and plan of action, investing in IT without direction can have negative effects on operations.
Technology shifts and their impact on businesses are reshaping the responsibilities of CIOs and IT departments everywhere. Today, the CIO’s role is to drive the direction of digitization, transitioning IT from a cost-oriented operation to one that delivers measurable value for the organization.
Benefits for Organizations that Align IT Strategies With Business Strategies
With digital disruption, IT departments must rise to the challenge and become active agents of change. To start, they need to evaluate the current state of IT and develop a strategic IT plan to ensure there is a roadmap that aligns IT with overall business goals. By taking a proactive role, IT leaders can move their organizations from tactical to strategic and establish a partnership with the business to support and propel its goals. Let’s explore the benefits of developing a strategic IT plan.
Teams are Enabled to Stay Focused on High-Value Business Programs
Despite the inevitable costs associated with new technology, a well thought out strategy can provide substantial value in the short and long term. Any investment into IT should be carefully considered. With effective governance, organizations can confidently decide which investments will create sustainable, ongoing value and pass on those that will not.
Remain Cost Efficient Through Vigilant Trimming of Wasted IT Resources
With economic instability looming, businesses must take proactive measures to ensure their survival. IT strategic planning is essential for businesses to remain competitive and profitable. By engaging in the planning process, companies can make sure that IT is aligned with the business needs and positioned to drive efficiency and transparency. This allows leadership to identify areas of waste and redirect those resources into more valuable investments that will drive cost optimization.
Improve Cross-Functional Communication and Collaboration
Having an IT strategy that is consistent with the business objectives is highly beneficial to employee engagement, providing a shared vision and purpose. When IT tools are chosen and implemented in connection to the business plan, they are more likely to be successful. Team members are also more likely to embrace adoption and training for new technology when they understand how it relates back to the company’s goals.
Leveraging IT to meet data-driven business objectives is essential to ensuring the entire organization can trust in the utility of such technology when striving to reach established strategic goals. There are plenty of tools available that make it easy to capture data from a range of sources and use it to drive sound decisions about the progression of the business.
An Ability to Rapidly Respond to Changes in Security and Compliance
Every new year brings a surge of innovative cybercrime trends, and 2023 is no exception. As expected, the time-tested methods that have proven lucrative for hackers will remain active, but more progressive tactics, such as Machine Learning recruitment, will emerge. In order for companies to stay ahead of potential threats and safeguard against the latest cyber risks, it is essential that they invest in cybersecurity measures. With the help of an expert, businesses can significantly reduce their chances of suffering from a security breach.
Learn More About IT Strategy Planning and the Impact on Business Operations
No matter what your business looks like and how digitally mature it is, developing a robust IT strategy is essential and can be made easier with outside expert advice. An objective point of view provided by a third-party IT advisor can help to avoid any internal politics that might stand in your way, and bring fresh ideas and best practices from other companies.
At Hartman, we work with organizations to develop and execute a strategic IT roadmap that aligns IT with your business goals. Contact us for more information about how we can help you develop and execute an IT strategy and roadmap for your business.