Now more than ever, businesses – regardless of size – must practice extreme attention to budget.
Now more than ever, businesses – regardless of size – must practice extreme attention to budget. The current pandemic has made it necessary for companies to trim excess and keep a sharp eye on the bottom line. One efficiency measure that is sometimes overlooked is an Information Technology Assessment (ITA), an evaluation that can have a significant impact in both the short and long terms.
An ITA, or thorough evaluation of a business’s network performance, is a highly effective tool to assist in properly allocating budgets for IT costs, in addition to understanding any shortcomings within internal processes. Technology assessments are designed to provide businesses with a better understanding of their IT infrastructure and how it could be improved to provide even better security, succinct workflows, and where cost savings might be possible in the process.
IT assessments identify strengths and weaknesses, as well as suggest methods to increase efficiency, productivity, and profitability.
A typical ITA analyzes a wide range of IT functional areas, including data storage, server and network infrastructure, cloud services, disaster recovery, business continuity, network security and risk identification and analysis.
Assessments typically take a couple days, beginning with an initial questionnaire, followed by a physical review of the business to identify all network elements, such as cabling, servers, firewalls, and wireless access points. The next phase – the discovery phase – involves the examination of physical electronic and processes elements. Once the discovery phase is complete, network performance is evaluated, and all information is tabulated in order to measure whether the network is performing to optimal levels as compared to other companies similar in industry and size.
The ITA concludes with a final detailed report that highlights all findings and recommendations. The amount of information can appear a bit overwhelming at first glance, so it’s a good idea to set aside a chunk of time to review the report with the assessor and ask questions.
If you’re already working with a Managed Service Provider, you don’t need to look any further for a partner to conduct an initial ITA and provide subsequent regular evaluations. MSPs are in a unique position to provide recurrent evaluations since they already have knowledge of their clients’ servers, computers, and other network devices.
Take note that ITAs should be conducted periodically, particularly if upgrades have been made to your network and/or if there is a substantial change to the company infrastructure.
For more info or to schedule an ITA, please email us at info@pulsetechnology.com.