Are You IT Strategic? – Part II

Are You IT Strategic? – Part II

Last month we looked at questions to be asked when looking into new or updated technologies for your business. These questions focused on building a long term IT strategy rather than taking care of the “now.” Keep in mind the question to be asked: What is the strategy of the business from an IT perspective?

This month we will look at three other technologies that represent growing trends within the technology sector: Data Backup, Data Storage, and Workstations.

Data Backup: The number one reason business owners and C-Level personnel lose sleep at night: the backup. Data backup is the process of technology copying important information to disk, tape, or even CD/DVD. Since companies rely more and more on technology to run their business, it is important to know that their data is stable and recovery will be as painless as possible. However, this depends heavily on the technology used for this important task. Questions to ask when considering a new or updated solution:

• How long can I be without my data in the event of a disaster or equipment failure?
• What is the required restore time for my required line of business applications (Accounting, Email, CRM, or industry specific applications)?
• What is my cost of downtime for one hour of business?
• Will data that has been backed up be stored offsite or onsite? How will data get offsite and where will it go?
• Do I have the proper technology for remote backup (backup over Internet)?
• What is my expected rate of data growth based on current storage trends?

Data Storage: Data continues to grow in our businesses as we depend more on email for communication, replace certain aspects of paper with digital imaging technologies, and rely more heavily on network based line of business applications. Buying disk space because it is low cost is not a strategic decision. Businesses need to consider several aspects of the data being stored on the network and having a good archiving strategy is key.  Here are some key questions to ask when your storage needs continue to expand:

• Am I required by any business regulations to keep data for a certain period of time?
• How much of the data on my systems is production data (current projects or work in progress) vs. stale data (data not in use or that need not be altered)?
• Who manages the data storage for the business network?
• Are data storage policies acted upon or being enforced to ensure users are only using company storage for business data?
• What is the growth rate of my production data per month? Bi-monthly? Annually?
• Is digitization of paper documents or filing cabinets a future project?

Workstations/Laptops: In most cases businesses buy desktops based on price vs. performance. With the release of the Vista, businesses are faced with a choice of sticking with XP Professional for now or moving forward with Vista. Each business scenario must be prepared to choose between the two operating systems based on what will be most productive for the end user.  Below are some questions to ask when considering new workstations/laptops:

• What is the end user’s primary role within the company and how does the workstation/laptop affect their performance? (Remote user or local user)
• What applications will be run locally, from the network, or using the Internet?
• What are the technical requirements of the critical line of business applications?
• What version of Office is required for the end user to be able to collaborate with other end users?

While I have provided few questions in each section to be asked when making IT purchases or decisions on new business solutions, the important aspect is to be sure they are asked or discussed. Buying technology based on price or what is “trendy” is not what makes a business strategic. Be sure that you align yourselves with the right internal IT staff or IT Solutions Providers who are focused on the long term direction of the company. Technology changes are fast and furious; make sure you stay strategic in all facets of your decision making process.