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As businesses grow and change, their underlying IT systems are often bursting at the seams trying to keep up. This not only puts a strain on day to day operations, but limits the success of new initiatives. While historically many executive teams have viewed IT as a necessary evil, it is now being recognised for its ability to support wider organisational strategies and an IT Roadmap is becoming a key requirement for any successful business. CONSOLIDATE FOR CONSISTENCY Whether you are expanding internally or considering acquisition, chances are IT is not consistent across your organisation. There is often a temptation to plug the holes with bandaid fixes to get you by, however these are often more costly in the long term. ‘Cloud’ is a buzz word that has reached fever pitch over the last few years, for good and bad. In simple terms it means delivering IT as a ‘service’ rather than a product, however is often plagued by suggestions of poor security and control. Many organisations are opting to build their own Cloud at their headquarters, or enlisting a trusted supplier to manage their Cloud at a secure data centre. This model centralises equipment, allows for closer management, and provides consistent IT to all users. REFOCUS STAFF TO ENHANCE CUSTOMER SERVICE For businesses facing skill shortages and retention challenges, managers must develop more efficient workplace strategies to drive productivity and optimise service. One of the most influential factors over work practices is the quality of technologies used on a day to day basis. Every moment spent manually completing paperwork, searching for information or waiting for their computer to behave, detracts from their core tasks. ‘Application Virtualisation’ is a powerful tool many organisations are welcoming with open arms. Rather than programs being installed on each individual computer, they can be delivered over ‘on demand’ to users anywhere, on any device – even smart phones and tablets. This incites greater staff mobility, faster performance, and consumes far less IT resource. REDUCE THE COST OF COMPLIANCE Disaster Recovery is a compliance issue that is becoming increasingly important after recent worldwide natural disasters. While a “DR plan” used to mean investing capital in duplicate IT equipment, a secondary facility and extra overheads, there are now an increasing number of solutions on the market offering DR as a service for a ‘pay as you go’ monthly fee. Should the worst occur, organisations of all sizes and budgets can now have fully managed systems on standby, ready to fail over within mere hours. So next time IT makes an appearance on your team’s agenda, take a new approach and consider engaging an expert to assist with a holistic IT Roadmap. Roll up those sleeves and get ready to achieve some real results for your organisation.
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IT Roadmap, Online Backup, disaster recovery, sydney it services, computer support, it network services,
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