Affordable IT Management
Ensure the IT Consulting you seek is a boon and not a bust
With computing and information technology, the sky is the limit as to who uses it and what we can do with it. Its ubiquitous presence and forays into every thread of our lives is quite unstoppable as it adds layers of convenience and productivity that if ignored, especially at the organization and commercial level, one might as well close shop.
To the IT professional, every technological forward twist and turn may not seem as daunting as to the layperson but even they throw their hands up in surrender at times. If you get it that even that can happen, you will understand why IT consulting forms a key component in the fabric of the industry.
In very broad strokes, their expertise could be hardware, software, infrastructure and other IT-related services e.g. back-up, data recovery, disaster planning and security.
Even big boys will seek out IT services
Regardless of the size of the company, whether they have an in-house IT team or not, when they seek to upgrade or overhaul their computer systems, they will inevitably seek out IT consulting or consultants who are specialists in the related upgrade model to ease the process along.
With the advent of our National Broadband Network (NBN) that is to debut next year, many establishments are bracing themselves for the positive sea change that is to descend upon the nation. Not contend with mere speedier connections, some are taking bold step towards state-of-the-art cloud computing.
Although large construction, manufacturing, retail and healthcare firms may have IT personnel within their organizations but they might not have the necessary experience and skill-sets required to deploy e.g. Voice-over-IP and other communications applications, which if installed haphazardly could compromise the system’s security loopholes and leakages in customer private data, to the detriment of the company.
The nuts and bolts of IT Consulting…
involves pre-study, scoping, planning, managing the deployment, troubleshooting, training, support and maintaining the project. They are hired for their in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience with the solutions they recommend. Working in tandem with their hardware and software vendors, the consulting team will have access to know-how and support that is a boon in the deployments they conduct and into the maintenance thereafter.
A commendable IT consultant is more of a business partner who understands the client’s IT challenges, backlogs and strategies in order to accurately scope out the project and how to add value, going forth. As the client, you should not only be informed but need to be educated about your system in order to be able to optimize on your long term IT investment.
The future is bright but only with the right business partner
Countries like Hong Kong (population: about 7 million) where broadband networks of almost 400,000 km of optical fibre reach nearly all households, its digital market is slated to reach US$18.8 billion or 7.2 percent of its total economy by 2015. This is also in no small part due to the slew of mobile devices that oil the wheels of that market.
Additionally the above report, written by Boston Consulting Group,
”found most small and medium-sized enterprises that actively use the Internet achieved higher sales.”
Back home, we have a population 3 times that of Hong Kong and the NBN is projected to reach 93 percent of our premises. Can you even imagine the potential?
Whether your company has already planned out your moves or are in the process of doing so, you will be well-advised to seek the best minds to align with for your IT consulting needs. After all, this is a fortuitous time and you want nothing shy off hitting the ground running.