As IT consultants, we at Lead I.T. work collaboratively with CFIOs and IT departments to develop technology solutions. Our approach is one of teamwork – an IT consultant from our team won’t undermine the expertise of your staff but can instead act as an IT liaison between management, IT and users.
This manner of partnership is essential because in many companies, IT users seem to be opposed to leadership that selects new technology. IT admins have a very different set of criteria (maintain control over technology; select a few solutions to cover many different needs; account for risk and cost) than do the users they serve (find flexible, mobile IT answers; solve problems with best-of-breed solutions; boost productivity to meet management’s goals; and select the fastest, sleekest new technology).
This contrast in motivation was moot previously. In earlier days, IT could maintain control because users didn’t have the understanding or the resources to make changes themselves. Any new technology was adopted top-down, and users were often left grumbling about how the new products didn’t actually solve their problems.
In contrast, today’s employees can easily find dozens of instantly downloadable solutions for the problems they face. IT management can no longer hope to fully control this aspect of doing business. Oftentimes, a “shadow IT” solution will spread among workers and project managers without IT management’s knowledge.
This shift is influencing how vendors design solutions. Instead of focusing on sales relationships with IT management, as was viable in yesteryears, IT vendors are focusing more on how their products actually work for the end user. This can translate into blossoming productivity – if IT execs and employees can work collaboratively to select solutions, that is.
Here’s where IT consultants like us come in handy. With three decades of experience in high-tech, we have the expertise to understand the bigger picture and help your team select answers that will benefit all players. An IT consultant worth his or her salt understands both sides of the “technology divide.” IT consultants can appreciate that IT administrators are hesitant to adopt new solutions because they are responsible for security, for instance. At the same time, a good IT consultant would also understand the motivation of employees, who are willing to try out new technology on the fly in hopes of improved productivity.
Here at Lead I.T., we are passionate about collaborating with CFIOs, CIOs and other company leadership to establish universal criteria for IT strategy. Prioritization, cost/benefit analysis and system stability are our bread and butter. If our IT consultants can’t provide this for our clients, we will go out of business. We earn our keep by helping our clients delegate less important tasks, automating when possible and cutting overall costs with solutions end users will love.
[ Photo by: Highways Agency, on Flickr, via CC License ]