Plan for your IT support partner in the new year

A crucial aspect of IT support is planning, and it is important to plan your IT strategy out for the whole year. Road-mapping your IT direction from the year’s outset – including your strategy to deal with nasty IT surprises and in conjunction with your IT support services – will ultimately help you do both.

We have already outlined what you should do to prepare your IT strategy for the holiday period. Now it is time to think of how you can plan for IT support in the new year. After all, when you plan for your IT support partner, the work will run more smoothly.

What is your Information Technology New Year’s Resolutions?

Start big – your IT partner will be able to reign you in!

While we may not always achieve the (ambitious) goals we set at the New Year, it shouldn’t stop us from dreaming big. What does IT need to operate at your business in the new year? Are there pressing equipment needs for your staff, or does your security policy need an overhaul? When you start with big goals, you can fully realise where you think your business needs to go.

The key to achieving these goals lies in discussing them closely with your IT partner. Have the vision – it is important as a business owner or manager that you can be aspirational about your IT strategy. But make sure it is achievable with your IT support. They’ll be able to help you understand what is within budget, and what is not. Your partner will also be able to outline how changes may benefit your business, and help you decide on how to prioritise your goals.

Go month-by-month

The second step towards planning your IT support roadmap for 2019 is to establish monthly goals and KPIs, in conjunction with your larger goals (as previously outlined).

Breaking down how you and your IT partner can reach your proposed goals – whether that’s security, implementing new data management practices, or simply procuring new equipment for staff – will help you achieve them. When you break down your goals into smaller achievements, with the help of your IT support partner, you build in resilience to your strategy. Breaking down your goals into achievable bites will help build momentum as your strategy ticks along. And, as a business owner, you will be able to keep a closer eye on how your IT plan is developing, and subsequently, be more mindful of the cost.

Be proactive – not reactive

Plan for surprises. Plan for the unexpected. Data is reliable – until it isn’t. Servers crash and hard-drives fail – the key to a resilient IT strategy is one that plans for failures.

Your IT support partner needs to be aware of your concerns, but they should also understand the unique security or data risks faced by your business. Once you identify these issues, you can plan accordingly.

Obviously, we can’t predict all the negative outcomes that our businesses may face in 2019. Technology moves incredibly rapidly, and security systems best practice moves quickly to match. But when prepping your partner for 2019, it’s important that you communicate your concerns and move to mitigate issues before they happen.

Prepare your IT strategy for 2019, with CodeBlue

If you are looking to develop an IT strategy, with an IT partner that understands your needs, look to CodeBlue. As one of the most trusted IT companies in Australia, we can help your business achieve and exceed its IT aims. Whether you are looking for a cloud services solution, or full IT support services, talk to CodeBlue.