We hear this often from IT managers as they consistently see and have to deal with poor coordination across different types of IT demand. With great predictability this leads to poor support of business performance. That’s a long way of saying that today’s IT managers recognize the importance of prioritization.
IT prioritization is difficult due to increasing technological complexity, first and foremost. Ten years ago, it was possible for a single leader to keep all IT consulting services and other IT processes in mind. Today, however, when companies often share IT duties across different platforms, it’s difficult to maintain coordination throughout an entire company. For instance, a firm may keep a certain SaaS solution in place even though it is only used for one or two hours a month. Beyond the cost such a wasteful line item represents, poor prioritization can also cause companies to miss out on new technological opportunities. And as IT consulting services reiterate, the opportunity for innovation is central to small business IT.
Consulting experts point out that although the repercussions of poor IT prioritization are more bloated in larger companies, small and medium-sized businesses also waste money every year on poorly coordinated IT systems. For small business IT, consulting firms point out, the issue can be especially acute. Sure, larger companies may lose more due to lack of prioritization, but then again they have more capital to throw around in the first place. Smaller businesses don’t have as much liquid capital to see them through poor prioritization of IT.
Consulting services also highlight the fact that prioritization is more challenging in small businesses, where leadership decisions are often made by an “army of one.” SOHO and SMB leaders can easily lose track of IT spending without a clear prioritization plan in place. Yet they rarely have the time or internal resources to “reset” IT priorities.
In such situations, we recommend hiring out for small business IT consulting. IT consulting services can provide unbiased, professional opinions on which IT spending should be prioritized in your company.