For the average business, information technology is integral to all aspects of operations, facilitating communication, supporting day-to-day activities, and driving innovation that fosters revenue and growth. Despite its importance, a business’s IT infrastructure is not static. Solutions that were effective yesterday may no longer suffice today; furthermore, the introduction of new technologies has the potential to revolutionize how a business operates tomorrow.
Yet, many businesses take their IT infrastructure for granted as long as it functions smoothly. This approach leads to missed opportunities for technological improvements that could have minimized vulnerabilities and potential issues in their operations. Hence, regular IT assessments are crucial as they empower a business to evaluate its IT infrastructure and devise plans for current and future enhancements. Let’s delve into what an IT assessment entails and explore why performing them is of paramount importance.
An IT assessment is a top-to-bottom examination of the entirety of a business’s IT operations and infrastructure. Its purpose is to provide insights into the performance of IT staff, the business’s cybersecurity posture, and the outcomes generated by its IT functions. It also offers an opportunity for the business to identify security vulnerabilities before they escalate into ongoing risks. An IT assessment typically examines:
By conducting an IT assessment, the business will have the data it needs to formulate sound strategic plans. This data can also guide ways to streamline operations and enhance productivity, as well as improve cybersecurity and manage risk. The ultimate outcome of an IT assessment will be a set of prioritized recommendations on how the business can enhance its overall IT performance. These recommendations will consider the business’s overarching goals as well as its budgetary constraints.
While there are countless specific reasons why regular IT assessments are crucial, several reasons stand out among them.
Early Identification of Security Issues
There is perhaps no greater benefit of regular IT assessments than their ability to help businesses identify security issues before they lead to a data breach. The average data breach costs Canadian businesses a staggering USD 5.13 million, making any effort to improve cybersecurity worthwhile. This is especially true when considering that the number of data breaches involving Canadian businesses doubled in 2023, indicating an increasingly challenging cybersecurity landscape.
Identifying Cost Saving Solutions
If there is one thing better for a business than an IT infrastructure that meets its needs, it is one that does so while saving money. Regular IT assessments help businesses identify cost-saving solutions that achieve exactly that. For example, an IT assessment might identify computing workloads that the business could move from on-premises hardware to the cloud. Alternatively, it might identify unused software, incurring licensing costs that the business does not need to spend.
Updating and Verifying Hardware Inventories
During a regular IT assessment, a business also has the opportunity to update and verify its hardware inventory data. Given that IT hardware represents a significant asset for the business, maintaining a detailed record of its status and location is crucial. This practice also enables the business to maximize the benefits of hardware depreciation schedules, which can impact its tax liabilities each year.
Verifying Data Backup Methods and Status
An IT assessment also provides a business with the opportunity to verify that its data backup strategy is still viable and functioning as expected. Data backups serve as a crucial failsafe, protecting the business from losses during natural disasters and cybersecurity incidents. In such cases, discovering that a backup is not working as intended could lead to an existential crisis for the business.
Finding and Fixing Productivity Killers
Regular IT assessments also assist businesses in identifying and resolving aspects of their IT operations that hinder productivity. For instance, an overburdened network switch causing a traffic bottleneck can slow down the work of everyone on the business’s network. Additionally, outdated computers may have fallen behind the hardware requirements of business-critical software, resulting in usability issues.
Managing Compliance Issues
Depending on their industry, businesses are often subject to strict regulatory requirements governing their IT operations. Failure to meet these requirements can result in fines and other liabilities. Regular IT assessments help businesses manage compliance issues by verifying that their operations conform to the applicable requirements. Additionally, they offer an opportunity for early intervention and remediation in situations where compliance issues are detected.
Evaluating the Viability of New Technology
Regular IT assessments also provide businesses with the opportunity to assess how any new technologies they are considering would integrate into their existing infrastructure. This aids in feasibility studies and provides valuable information that can inform an upgrade plan. For instance, a business considering a strategic shift to the cloud might require substantial internal networking and connectivity upgrades to support the move. Failing to identify such issues early can easily lead to cost overruns and create the potential for a total strategic failure of the initiative.
Identifying IT Staffing Issues
An IT assessment can also assist a business in determining if it is operating with the proper IT staffing levels. This analysis can highlight whether the business has the necessary on-staff or outsourced IT expertise to manage its infrastructure and meet its strategic technology goals. Additionally, it can yield recommendations regarding the utilization of outside IT consultants and managed IT solutions.
Regular IT assessments, ideally conducted annually, are crucial for businesses to maintain visibility into their IT operations and make informed strategic improvements to enhance operations and reduce spending.
Depending on the size of the business, an IT assessment can be a major undertaking. Fortunately, Outsource IT stands ready with the expertise and manpower to make the process fast, simple, and productive. Additionally, we offer a variety of IT services, ranging from managed IT solutions to cloud hosting and data backup to help businesses meet their IT needs and objectives. To learn more, contact one of our knowledgeable account managers today.
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