An increasing number of companies are seeking out technology consulting services due to the increasingly important role of IT, computer and data systems, combined with the ever-evolving nature of this technology. Businesses are tasked with finding the right technology for their needs and their budget, while simultaneously ensuring that any new software, hardware or systems will play well with their existing tech infrastructure.
Technology consulting solutions will guide your company down the right path, helping you to choose software, hardware, databases, servers and other high-tech infrastructure that will meet your needs and your budget. The best tech consulting service providers also have experience in the area of system integrations. They can guide you toward high-tech solutions that will integrate well with your existing technology. So how does the technology consulting process work and how can your business benefit?
Evaluating Your Existing Technology
Tech and IT consulting service providers will typically begin by evaluating your existing infrastructure and how your company is using various pieces of technology. Your consultant will seek to answer questions such as:
- What software, hardware, servers and data systems are currently in use?
- How well is this technology meeting the company’s needs?
- How well integrated are the various systems?
- What data management tools are in place?
- What are the current technology pain points?
- Are there any “gaps” in the current infrastructure?
Once the consultant has a good feel for the answers to these questions, they’ll be ready to proceed to the next step: understanding your goals.
Understanding Your Company’s Vision for the Future
Technology consulting solutions are most commonly sought-after as a company begins to go through a transition. This change often results in a realization that the current system will no longer meet the company’s needs. Ideally, an IT consultant should be called in before this transition begins so operations will remain highly productive throughout this period of change.
In the first phase, the IT and technology consultant will get a feel for where your business is currently. In this phase, the objective is to gain an understanding of where the company is headed and how their technology needs will evolve as a result of this transition.
By the end of this evaluation process, an adept IT consulting solutions provider will identify areas where you’ll need to implement new technology in order to ensure a smooth transition. This brings a key benefit to your business, as you’ll be equipped with the knowledge you need to avoid a loss of productivity — and ultimately, revenue — during a transition period.
Developing an IT and Technology Improvement Plan
A majority of the benefits of these consulting solutions come in this third phase, whereby the consultant develops a plan for implementing new technology. This plan may impact some or all of the following items:
- CRM software;
- ERP platforms;
- Databases;
- IT hardware;
- SaaS and web-based software portals;
- Cloud-based servers and data storage;
- Data lakes and data warehouses; and
- Predictive analytics engines and data visualization tools.
The tech consulting service provider will likely make recommendations in five key areas:
- Which items will remain as-is?
- Which existing items will be replaced or upgraded?
- What new technology and hardware will be added?
- Which items require custom system integration solutions?
- What — if any — custom software programs or systems are required?
Companies will gain a tremendous benefit from the consultant’s insight in these areas. An experienced professional will have the knowledge required to ensure that the transition into this new technology is smooth, creating little (if any) disruption to the company’s operations.
The best tech and IT consulting service providers can architect a phased implementation plan that minimizes any downtime and maximizes benefit. Certain components/systems can even be put into service before the entire transition process is complete. Technology upgrades and system integration projects can span months — depending upon the size and complexity — so the ability to leverage new software and technology before the entire project is complete can prove to be a significant advantage of hiring a tech consultant.
The Benefits of Technology Consulting Solutions
It’s virtually impossible for a layman to identify the best software, hardware and other high-tech systems to meet a company’s needs, while also integrating well with pre-existing systems. Yet companies still take this route and end up with an ill-suited IT infrastructure that fails to meet all the company’s needs; poor productivity is the result. These cobbled-together IT infrastructures also tend to lack full system integration, leaving humans to manually span the gaps. Some businesses are even missing the data management capabilities they need to maintain regulatory compliance, while others are without the data analysis capabilities that could elevate their company to the next level.
The potential benefit of hiring a top technology consultant is truly limitless because the right technology can be transformative. You’ll move toward the future with confidence knowing that you have the technology you need to maximize productivity and drive success.
7T provides tech consulting services to clients in Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Austin and beyond. In fact, we offer a complete suite of offerings, such as data governance solutions, mobile app development services, custom software development services and system integrations. If you’re in search of a company that’s experienced in tech consulting, with an innovative approach to software development, contact the team at 7T today.
