It’s intimidating to implement complex software. Learn how skilled IT consulting and service providers can help.
Information technology (IT) will always play a vital role in your workflow, whether your business is an established enterprise or an online startup. With technology constantly evolving, it’s intimidating to learn a new program or implement complex software that—when done correctly— can help your business grow and operate efficiently. This is where skilled IT consulting and service providers can help.
In this article, we’ll share what you need to know before you hire a technology partner, including a strong understanding of your needs, the capabilities of an IT services provider, and the right approach for your business.
Assessing Your IT Needs
Before your business can jump headfirst into new technology, you must assess your business’s specific IT requirements and technology needs. Jumping directly to implementation is one of the main blockers to deployment of any new technology.
To begin, identify the business processes that are already in place that would benefit from automation or optimization. This could be anything from focusing on tightening the customer journey to diving deeper into tracking and analyzing sales strategies.
Depending on its size or industry, each business will have unique IT needs, so it’s crucial that each business analyze what technology they’ll need to implement. Another reason it’s important to align your IT strategy with your business goals to avoid the “shiny object syndrome”, where business leaders may have a heightened interest in the newest technologies, especially new AI tools; however, it doesn’t quite fit within their strategy, making the new implementation of the technology mute, and quite frankly, an unnecessary expense. Instead, focus on improving your business objective with the help of technology.
Understanding the Four Areas of Solutions Design
There are four key areas of solution design for businesses where partnering with an IT consulting and managed services provider can provide significant value. These include automations and integrations, professional services and consulting, managed IT services, and custom software development. Let’s dive a little deeper into these four areas.
Automations & Integrations
Automating tasks, data collection, and data sharing is one of the most popular ways to use technology in any business. There was a time when business leaders kept important business data and metrics from internal stakeholders; however, the mindset has slowly been shifting as more studies suggest the benefits of sharing data. According to a Gartner Chief Data Officer Survey, data sharing is a key performance indicator of effective stakeholder engagement and enterprise value, making conversations more collaborative and expanding revenue-generation opportunities.
Professional Services & Consulting
You’ve analyzed your company’s IT needs, and now you need to figure out what to do next. Partnering with an IT services provider ensures that your business finds the right solution, implementation, and support.
Some popular professional services your company may require include ERP system, HCM system, and CRM system support as well as consultation on data analytics and integrating systems and business automation processes into your company. Many companies may also require custom web development to help further business goals.
Managed IT Services
For businesses that are looking to rapidly scale their IT strategy, augmenting your IT team may be the best solution. Outside of a 9-5 team, highly specialized IT operation services can provide strategic consulting, monitoring, and support services across your company’s digital infrastructure. These services are in place to remove blockers, solve technology problems, and administer IT solutions, helping you save money and improve operational efficiency across your organization and digital infrastructure.
Custom Software Development
Every business is unique with various IT needs, goals, and resources. Sometimes, there’s no out-of-the-box software solution to fit your business’s needs. If this is the case, custom software might be the answer for your organization.
When looking for an IT consulting firm to manage your custom software development, opt for those with experience in optimizing legacy and homegrown software to reduce expenses. This will allow companies to target specific problems that commercial off-the-shelf software does not offer without needing to build a complete program from scratch.
Factors to Consider for Startups
IT services providers can help startups streamline operations. This includes the automation of routine tasks, such as data entry, and providing companies with organized and optimized data systems.
Startups in particular should look for simple, flexible, and cost-effective plans when shopping for a technology partner, keeping the engagement aligned with the specific outcomes they are trying to achieve. The IT consulting and managed services provider should offer proactive service, rather than reactive, to ensure startups receive scalable solutions with long-term benefits based on the organization’s growth strategy.
Factors to Consider for Mid-Market Companies
Once businesses cross the mid-market threshold, IT requirements and goals alter from those of startups. According to Deloitte’s 2023 Mid-Market Technology Trends Report, mid-market companies are “confronting headwinds affecting many parts of their businesses, including evolving cyber threats, changing talent configurations, and the impact of generative AI.”
Mid-market companies need IT partners who possess industry-specific expertise and domain knowledge to keep their business competitive and compliant with cybersecurity standards. Mid-market companies can benefit from custom IT solutions, including integrations and software that support their goals and deliver greater operational efficiency. Additionally, outsourcing IT services can cut costs and boost overall IT performance due to outsourced resources and expertise.
Factors to Consider for Enterprise-Level Companies
Enterprise-level companies tend to see more complexity in their IT programs due to the sheer number of technology requirements these companies have. Due to their size and complexity, enterprise-level businesses need robust IT infrastructure support, and scalable solutions that work hand-in-hand with their IT strategy. This includes support for SDWAN cloud infrastructure, where employees can collaborate and work on mobile devices or laptops, whether it’s in an office location or from home.
Gregor Hohpe, Sr. Principal Evangelist for Amazon, shares that most enterprise companies use a “buy over build” approach when it comes to software and hardware. However, there is usually custom software that needs to be built to accommodate all of the business’s needs. This is especially true for enterprise companies with complex systems and IT infrastructure.
Evaluating Provider Expertise
Finding the best fit for your company takes a bit of research. The best way to find this information is to ask your network through Linkedin or other social media, read case studies involving the company, or read reviews from other customers.
The most important aspect of evaluating a provider’s experience is confirming the company is knowledgeable in your specific technology stack. For example, Boston SoftDesign specializes in major platforms like Salesforce, Oracle, NetSuite, ServiceNow, and Workday. Our 20+ years of technical work and experience solving business problems could make us a great choice for your business.
For companies looking to add custom integrations and applications, Boston SoftDesign is also highly experienced with software development and integrations using top iPaaS platforms, including Workato, Mulesoft, and Informatica Cloud.
The Importance of Company Values
Once you have established that an IT partner has the expertise needed to achieve your business’s IT objectives, it’s time to look at their core values and see if they align with yours. Avoid IT providers who have poor response times or have little consideration when it comes to information security. It’s also recommended to partner with an IT provider that specializes not only in solutions, but also in customer service, support, and collaboration.
For example, Boston SoftDesign’s services are custom-built for the business outcomes you want to achieve. But, we also prioritize communication and collaboration between our team and our clients’ staff. Our clients receive transparent pricing with engagement models that work best for them, based on their budget and the goals of the project.
Conclusion
Finding the best IT consulting and managed services provider relies on a few factors, including company size and integrating business goals with technology. Before contracting an IT consultant, analyze your existing business processes and workflows to identify which of these could use an upgrade. This could include automating tasks or optimizing software for better performance or data.
When researching an IT provider, zero in on consulting firms who are experts in your particular technology stack as well as providers who share similar company values. Boston SoftDesign is widely recognized for superior service, transparency (in both pricing and communication), and our approach to IT problem-solving.
Boston SoftDesigns offers high-value IT consulting services, including CRM and ERP consulting, integrations, and custom software development. The team uses decades of business experience and technical expertise to solve problems, remove blockers, and implement IT solutions for your business, helping you save money and improve operational efficiency.
To learn more about how we can help you, explore our services or contact us now.
