Skip to content

Why Your Business Needs a Comprehensive IT Strategy

Michael Hamer Oct 11, 2021 9:30:00 AM
Group of multi-ethnic business partners discussing ideas

Why Your Business Needs a Comprehensive IT Strategy

Do you have a plan for your information technology other than just facilitating your day-to-day operations? Many businesses lack a solid, effective IT strategy, unknowingly hindering their growth.

In a world where technology is more critical to success than ever before, an effective approach towards IT is invaluable. It aligns your IT and technology capabilities with your business objectives, maximising return on investment. Strategic IT planning ensures accountability and keeps the business on track with its IT and broader goals.

Given that the majority of jobs heavily rely on technology, having a solid strategy template is essential. Today, we discuss the basics of an IT strategy in business and its advantages. Ready to get started?

What is an IT Strategy in Business?

An IT strategy is a detailed plan defining how technology and IT processes align with business goals. If you're serious about success and growth, you need to align IT and business strategies.

A comprehensive IT strategy, including a strategic IT roadmap, can be put together to document and detail various factors affecting IT and technology use. An IT strategy helps allocate business resources effectively, covering hardware, software, cost, risk, human resources, and vendor management.

Does your business have an IT strategy? Check out our 5 pillars for building an  effective IT strategy

What’s the Purpose of a Comprehensive IT Approach?

Ultimately, a comprehensive IT strategy guides IT processes, software, hardware, and infrastructure decisions. It's a roadmap for understanding and managing all IT areas, enabling informed business decisions to drive growth.

It identifies: 

  1. The current state of the business.
  2. Future goals and ambitions.
  3. Challenges and necessary improvements.
  4. Desired future capabilities and benefits.
  5. Resources required for success.
  6. Operational procedures and necessary partnerships.

It’s essentially a roadmap for businesses and helps you understand and get to grips with all IT areas, enabling them to make smart, informed business decisions to drive growth.

And it should identify and explain three main things:

Where Does the Business Currently Sit?

  • What are your company's goals and ambitions?
  • What does your current technology service portfolio look like?
  • What are the challenges that you need to overcome?

Where Does the Business Want to be in the Future? (in line with company mission)

  • What capabilities and benefits do you want to achieve in the future to support the business?
  • What does the future-state landscape need to look like?
  • What are the gaps between now and then?

How Can a Business Reach Its Objectives

  • What resources do you need?
  • How will the future state be operated?
  • What partners do you need?

In a nutshell, it’s the who, what, where, why and how. You’ll need to identify and answer all of these to create an effective and robust IT strategy in business.

If you don’t plan, then you won’t succeed. Businesses without goals or specific objectives in mind will not only lack direction but are destined to fail.

In fact, according to the strategic software company Cascade, 67% of strategies fail due to poor execution. That’s over two-thirds! And it highlights the need for an effective IT strategy that’s guided by experts.

The Benefits of a Well-Designed IT Strategy

Creating a well-thought-out IT plan is an organisation-wide effort, offering numerous benefits:

Here's a list we've put together that covers the main plus points: 

  1. Unifying approach to information processing and sharing.
  2. Lower IT costs.
  3. Enhanced data collection, processing, and analytics.
  4. Improved cybersecurity and compliance.
  5. Enhanced IT resilience and reduced downtime costs.
  6. Better resource distribution and project planning.
  7. Improved communication and alignment between departments.

Kick off your IT strategy with a Comprehensive Audit.

A comprehensive IT strategy starts with a complete audit of your business and IT systems. It's an in-depth analysis of IT policies, operations, and infrastructure to ensure alignment with business goals and industry standards. An IT audit lays the foundation for building an effective IT strategy. 

A comprehensive technical audit should investigate and outline whether the current systems are actually up to scratch, in line with industry best practices, and aligned with your business goals. The audit should also uncover any risks associated with your IT infrastructure and provide you with the next steps to help reduce these risks.

Learn about IT audits and why they're important.

An IT audit takes a high level of skill, time and investment in auditing software and lays the foundation to build your IT strategy. So, if you have an in-house IT team but don’t have the right resources to complete your IT audit to the correct standard, you’re best off seeking outsourced help.

Investing in a comprehensive IT strategy is essential for business growth and efficiency. If you lack the resources for an in-depth IT audit, consider seeking outsourced help. At Netitude, we specialise in helping businesses develop robust IT strategies; we've helped hundreds of businesses build and revolutionise their approach towards technology.