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Fold Technology into Your 2009 Business Forecast
Happy New Year! With the start of 2009, so too begins the start of your 2009 business plans. As a business leader, you have most likely planned and forecasted how your business will grow and change throughout the coming year. Maybe you are adding or changing your product lines or service offerings. Or you might be adding office staff or expanding your sales force. In all of your considerations, did you factor in technology?
In today’s business world, technology has such a great impact on every aspect of business that it has to be a part your forecast. But so many business leaders seem to ignore this critical component. In some cases, business leaders simply lack the knowledge about IT or technology issues, and therefore, cannot accurately account for them. In other instances, technology is not thought of proactively but reactively when a problem occurs, information is lost, or systems go down.
But perhaps the largest (and most dangerous) reason technology and IT issues are left out of business plans is because business leaders mistakenly believe they have all of their technology needs under control. Most have someone internally who’s assigned to security and takes care of technology needs. While business leaders may not be sure of exactly what is being done and sometimes may not know what to ask, they think and hope all is covered. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible for small to medium-sized businesses to keep up with current technology changes, threats, and needs because of how fast and how much changes. Instead, their technology leaves their company vulnerable, and they certainly are not sure how to leverage technology to keep their organization protected, productive, and profitable.
So what should you do if you haven’t included technology into your 2009 forecasts? Here are some simple steps and questions you should consider when planning for technology needs in 2009.
Consider the following…
Your equipment and its capabilities. What systems, software, hardware, etc. do you have on site? What does this allow you to accomplish? What limitations are you under? By taking an inventory of what you have and what it does (and does not) do for you, you can begin to build a baseline for your technology plan.
The critical data that should be protected. What would happen if the information you need to run your business was compromised? Would you even know if it happened? A key factor in any organization’s technology plan has to be accounting for critical organizational information and making certain it is protected from theft and disaster.
What you need to replace in the future and why. To effectively leverage technology, you must have a roadmap. Where are you going? How are you going to get there? Your roadmap can reveal how you will use technology to drive your business forward, helping you to save money, make money, keep a competitive edge, and mitigate risk.
Creating the plan…
While you may be able to assess what equipment you currently have, their limitations, and what critical data you need to protect, you may have a hard time determining if your information is protected or how you can leverage technology in your business. This is where an outside technology adviser can assist. Even if you have an internal IT staff person, you still will want to seek the advice and support of an outside expert, if only in the planning phases. One internal IT person can have a tremendously hard time keeping up with everything they need to know about today’s technology, and therefore, may not be able to offer you a complete and accurate picture of where you need to go. An outside technology adviser can help you with:
Scanning and Reporting. This involves an important system scan that offers you essential information about the security of your system. Where do your vulnerabilities lie? What data is at risk of being compromised, and what steps should you take to remedy them?
Detailed Discovery and Forecasting. This goes beyond basic scanning to deploying an agent on the system that enables IT professionals to develop and analyze multi-level status reports to offer you the facts, guidance, and recommendations you need to make wise business decisions.
Comprehensive Business Technology Assessments. This takes discovery and forecasting to a new level by coupling technical information with information gained from interviews and company information to offer comprehensive business technical recommendations.
If you plan for profit this year, factor in technology. It is no longer merely a helpful tool for success; rather, it is a critical platform that can raise your organization to new levels.
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