How CFOs can achieve Quick Wins in IT Operations – while aligning with a Long-Term IT Strategy
New to Managing IT? Enhance Your IT Infrastructure to Drive Real Organisational Gains Rapidly
When a new CFO takes charge, there’s immense pressure to deliver results. The entire C-suite looks to you not only for new data but also for valuable insights and significant improvements in the company’s key performance indicators.
This presents an excellent opportunity because, during the first year in your role, you have the support and flexibility to implement new ideas. As a CFO, you may have oversight over the company’s IT department and infrastructure, which provides a prime avenue for realising substantial wins in a short period.
Most IT operations have ample room for improvement. When we partner with organisations as an MSP (Managed Service Provider), we often identify significant gaps and suggest more efficient ways to optimise their systems. Here are some common areas that we recommend new CFOs investigate for quick and impactful improvements.
Key Areas for Enhancing Your IT Infrastructure
Whether you’re a newly appointed CFO or an experienced one now responsible for IT, it’s crucial to take a strategic approach to assess your IT operations comprehensively. We recommend seeking professional assistance and an external perspective to evaluate your IT infrastructure from top to bottom. By doing so, you’ll identify areas that require changes both in your strategy and daily operations. It’s surprising how many blind spots can be discovered through a thorough examination.
Lifecycle Management and Reducing Redundancies
How well have you tracked your IT purchases? Do you know the age of all your devices? A well-managed IT operation should maintain a comprehensive inventory of all endpoint devices and have a plan in place to replace obsolete or sluggish devices. By ensuring that your systems operate smoothly without any hindrances, you’re likely to experience significant improvements in speed and efficiency. Although upfront investments may be necessary for upgrades, the long-term savings will be well worth it.
The same principle applies to your server room, if applicable. Assess the currency and speed of your equipment, as outdated infrastructure can negatively impact system performance.
Have you migrated to cloud-based productivity software? If so, you can avoid the cost of updates since they come as standard, providing both cost savings and convenience.
During the assessment, focus on identifying obsolescence, incompatibility, and waste. This initial evaluation phase presents the low-hanging fruit and an excellent opportunity for substantial gains.
Internal vs. External Staffing
While many assume that outsourcing is always more efficient, it’s important to run the numbers and evaluate all options. Whether you’re a mid-sized company seeking IT staff augmentation or a small company looking for an MSP partner, we recommend conducting a thorough assessment that compares various choices. Avoid assessments bundled with the promise of signing a big contract with an IT provider, and instead seek unbiased insights through a paid assessment. Having all the information at hand will help you make informed decisions, which may sometimes be surprising.
Strengthening Your Speed of Recovery
When was the last time you reviewed your company’s disaster recovery protocol? Often, companies set it and forget it, failing to keep pace with the increasing traffic and system updates implemented by the IT department.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Do we have sufficient cloud storage to meet our data processing needs?
- If a natural disaster affected our head office, how would it impact our business operations? Do our staff know what to do, and do we have written procedures in place?
- In the event of system interruptions due to disasters or outages, how much data would we likely lose? How quickly would our backup systems activate? What would these answers mean for our business in terms of financial impact and lost productivity?
Your answers will determine the level of investment required and shape your overall backup strategy.
We are passionate about assisting clients with these challenges and would love to discuss how we can help enhance your systems and procedures. Reach out to us today for a complimentary consultation – email info@hbtech.co.nz or phone 0800 423 834.