Budgeting accurately for your long-term IT needs requires an intimate knowledge of technology and IT trends. Your IT budget must take into account the depreciation of your IT equipment, replacement values, and the cost of procuring evolving solutions that are shaping your industry. Do you have the technical knowledge to calculate your IT budget, or are you safer contracting an IT consultant?
Have Your Regular IT Provider Do It
If you’re hiring someone to help calculate your IT budget, why not use your regular IT provider? If you’ve ever worked with a new consulting service before, then you know the familiarization stage takes time, and how valuable it is to not have to pay for introductions. Having your IT service provider double as your IT consultant means you’re getting professional advice from a company that’s already overseeing your IT infrastructure.
By having regular conversations with your IT provider about your company’s technology needs, you’ll stay current with the latest IT trends that can improve operations. You don’t want to fall behind your competition out of ignorance.
When selecting an IT consultant, follow these guidelines to find a good fit:
The Don’ts
• Don’t think that IT consulting is a silver bullet to help you out of a jam. Think of it as sage advice to put your business on the right track for future success.
• Don’t confuse responsibilities. Before moving forward with your IT consultant, clearly lay out what their responsibilities are compared to your own. Have this discussion before signing an agreement.
• Don’t take your eye off the end goal. With so many moving pieces in an IT budget, it can be easy to get stuck on the details and lose sight of your main goals.
What You Should Do
• Be as clear as possible. Remember that accurate communication is key to every consultation service. If your consultant isn’t clear about what you want, you’ll end up with the wrong advice and frustration for everyone. Speak candidly, and keep communication lines open.
• Make an outline of your goals and expectations before you get started with your IT consultation. Set a timeframe. This helps your IT consultant to help you accomplish your goals in a timely and satisfactory manner.
• Take the time needed to find the perfect fit. Your IT consultant advises you on some very important matters. You need someone in whom you have total confidence; from a company with a verifiable track record. Check around. Take your time.
• Recognize that you are the decision maker. Get the best advice you can, make the decision, and own it. An IT consultant can only advise you so far in making your decision; you’re the one who gets the praise or criticism that comes with being the lead decision maker.
• Hire people for the skills that you don’t have, so you don’t find yourself stuck in a situation you don’t understand.
We Can Help
Now that you have a good idea of what to look for in your next IT consultant, give Quikteks Tech Support a call at (973) 882-4644. We offer the expert IT consulting you need, and we stand by our reputation.