Business Value of I.T.

The value of IT to businesses have been on a steady incline from the very beginning of the knowledge age. Thus, it is pivotal for leaders in the field of IT to influence and encourage members of their organization to take a leap of faith, not just viewing IT as a service provider, but by viewing IT as a business partner. After all, it is the age of digitization.

“For companies to succeed in the age of digitization, they must transform information technology (IT) from order taker to strategic business partner, and individual business units will need to gain more control over the IT they use.”

Few ways as highlighted below to elevate IT from Service Provider to Business Partner:

The Importance Of Partnership

By highlighting the significance of IT, senior executives and change-makers are able to see your greater vision for the organization and its successes. By proposing IT to be set as a Business Partner, you are highlighting the possibilities of a positive step in the right direction. Businesses are already familiar with the successes IT has brought to-date, and with the right level of articulation, the role of technology and its importance can (and often will) be easily digested. Technology is here to stay, how we use it is up to us.

Embrace Emerging Technologies

Embracing new technologies enables an environment where teams within an organization can go above and beyond traditional IT stereotypes of simply maintaining what already exists. By utilizing new technology, teams can be one step ahead of the curve and explore ways services can be improved. It is often mentioned that infrastructure should be replaced every few years in order to maintain current demand, this can be well prepared and planned in advanced if organizations are keeping up to date with their digital needs and requirements, encouraging business agility and self-service. It’s also important that whilst organizations increase their focus on new technologies to help transform their business it’s also equally important to assess the risks that come with adoptions to maximize the benefits.

Sharing Value

By having a measurable powerhouse, such as IT, it is easy to identify performance indicators, to highlight successes. Very much like the sales process, IT is traceable through a funneling process which determines which areas are working well and which areas need improvement. This introduces a viable option for partnership and the value can be quantified. On the contrary, if the business is on the decline as a whole, shared value equals shared accountability, and areas of improvement can be identified and action-ed.

In the age of digitization, IT is a heavily fueled entity than can latch onto many business process, and often drives successors for this exact reason. Viewing IT as a Business Partner rather than just a Service Provider enables a series of possibilities, which can in-turn have businesses seeing successes over their competitors who have taken a more classical approach in contemporary business. Business and IT have changed dramatically and continue to do so year-on-year, and becomes important next step into the future.