Many enterprises use IT as a support or tactical
organization, as opposed to being a “business inside the
business”.
DATASKILL helps senior executives craft a strategy
for their IT organization, by providing insight, analysis and
thoughtful execution. Through an IT strategic plan, we help break
the cycle of IT's moving from one “emergency” to another,
with little sense of how IT can contribute to - and even help
drive - corporate strategy.
IT/Business Alignment. In some organizations, IT should be exploited so that the organization can create a sustainable advantage in the marketplace. In other firms, IT’s strategy ought to be driven by the needs of the business. We help senior executives gain alignment and consensus regarding the mission, objectives and priorities for IT.
Funding Strategy. Funding for IT can be complicated, and a source of contention in some organizations. To ensure alignment throughout an enterprise, we help craft strategies and policies with regard to IT funding, so that responsibilities for funding, implementing and maintaining IT facilities are shared appropriately across the organization. For example, we help organizations that are adopting a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), develop a funding model that aligns strongly with the implementation of a SOA and the vision of a service-centric IT organization.
Benchmarking, Metrics and Service Level Agreements. Measuring IT performance is a time-consuming exercise, and many companies believe that they do not have the time, money, or resources to initiate it. However, business cannot determine how much something is worth unless its value can be quantified. We help clients determine: how to measure IT investments through the project lifecycle; where the client stands in relation to their peers with regard to IT spending; how a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and well-defined Service Level Agreements can transform the enterprise; and how to identify enterprise-wide cost savings by leveraging IT.
Security and Privacy Compliance. Every organization has to pay close attention to its security and privacy policies, and keep them up-to-date over time. We help clients design security and privacy policies that help ensure compliance with federal and state regulations, maintain a firm’s reputation, protect the organization’s business interests, and sustain its competitive position in the marketplace.
Disaster Recovery Planning and Implementation. It is essential for the continuity of an organization’s operations that a robust, disaster recovery plan is developed, regularly maintained and tested. We help clients assess where their IT is vulnerable in the event of a disaster, what their current ability is to recover, and what they must do to improve and ensure business continuity.
Sourcing and Vendor Selection. We help firms develop IT procurement and sourcing policies that support the IT organization’s needs, and vision with regard to the technical infrastructure for the enterprise. In addition, we can help clients identify tactical functions within IT that should be outsourced as part of a third-party managed services arrangement – thus freeing up valuable resources within the IT team to focus on strategy instead of non-core, day-to-day operations. As a result, organizations gain significant cost savings, and accelerate their ability to achieve their vision with regard to technical infrastructure.
Education and Training. We help IT organizations determine their role in educating and training their end-user community, with regard to application features, internal policies and procedures and the like. We assist in identifying appropriate education and training resources – both inside and outside the client’s organization. Where appropriate, we deliver Education and Training Services to executives, end-users and other stakeholders.
Governance. A strong governance policy, well-defined and then updated routinely, helps bring IT Strategy to life. We help clients ensure that their IT Strategy is more than a document that sits on the shelf — by crafting a corporate IT governance policy, helping implement it, and defining “triggers” that cause executives to revisit the strategy and take action to make timely revisions that accurately reflect new business realities.
Deliverables may include:
IT
Strategy Business Value Assessment.
IT/Business
Alignment Assessment & Plan.
IT
Funding Alignment Model.
Key
Benchmarks for IT Spending, Staffing and Technology Adoption.
