A guide for designing your IT roadmap

In business, it is necessary to have a plan for everything, from research to marketing to personnel management. Strategic planning optimizes processes, maximizes resources, and improves the value of a company. This is why successful businesses have roadmaps for the different facets of their operations.

Technology and communications can be improved greatly by having an IT roadmap. This will help enforce plans that directly affect your company’s internal systems and processes. It reduces wasted resources like time, money, and talent. Furthermore, an IT roadmap can help you and your investors understand how IT improves profits and operational efficiency.

Creating an IT roadmap that fits your framework and covers your needs involves thorough analysis and ample planning. Consider the following when designing your IT roadmap:

Identify your needs and wants

Create a list of the IT components that are absolutely necessary for your business and the non-essential IT components that are nice to have but are relatively dispensable.

For most businesses, critical components include computers, servers, operating systems, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. It would help greatly if you can list them down by order of importance and with relevant details such as the person in charge of handling and maintenance, as well as details on how they are integrated with other devices and components. These lists will allow you to procure assets while staying within budget.

Allocate your budget

Now, use the lists to set a realistic and focused budget — and make sure to stay disciplined. With all the developments in the world of tech, it’s easy to get tempted into spending a fortune on IT tools that are not necessary for your business. Make sure your budget plan is supported by a reliable canvass of prices, and avoid deviating from the plan.

Assets that can serve you better and for a longer period of time will give you better value for your money, but they also tend to take up a larger slice of your budget. If you can afford to go that route, great; if not, make sure you stick with the smarter spend. There is no sense in going for more expensive assets if they will put your company in a bind during the earlier years.

Designate your tech resources

This section of the roadmap mostly deals with your server, as it is ideal to run your network through a server for storing and managing data storage, maximizing your experience and minimizing your costs in the long term. Most small- to mid-sized businesses may feel that a server is too expensive, but having one lets companies have some flexibility should their storage and data handling needs grow.

Many businesses have found a way around this server conundrum by enlisting an IT partner that can provide data management services on top of other IT essentials. Managed services providers (MSPs) let you enjoy robust IT within tight budgets, all while having the ability to scale up or down, depending on your business’s needs.

Install your network infrastructure

This is the stage where all your planning will be made concrete. Remember to stick to a schedule when deploying your network — this will ensure that your tech framework is coherent and organized in the correct tiers so that your users won’t have a difficult time managing it and you can integrate future components without having to overhaul everything.

Keep tabs on your IT partner as your deployment takes place. You’ll know you made the correct choice if they are able to walk you through every step of the way, and if they can answer all of your questions satisfactorily. Competent IT providers nurture relationships, and it is always in their best interest to always keep you in the loop.

Looking for a technology partner you can trust? Arnet Technologies cares about YOU. We’ve been setting the IT bar for Columbus since 2008. Be the next satisfied customer. Call today!