Advantages and Benefits of IT Consulting Services

By Ramy Stuart

When you decide to use the services of an IT Consulting firm, you would get assistance with the identification of areas of opportunity which will improve your overall efficiency. In addition, it may also improve your costs. You will be provided with a road-map for change and have experienced help as you transition processes / technology projects. They will be able to act as an independent 3rd party engaged in strategic decision making and provide expertise to complement or enhance client resources.

IT Consulting is a domain that focuses on advising organisations on how to enhance the performance of their existing information technology assets to meet their business objectives.
There are a number of reasons for which you may require the help of an external IT Consulting Services firm, as the services provided cover a number of areas, such as:

• Consulting for business change
• Consulting for infrastructure management
• Building competitive advantage through IT
• Aligning the technology strategy to the business strategy
• Capturing synergy benefits related to technology in a post-merger integration
• Global delivery models - knowledge and transition management
• Establishment of processes and methodology to transform captive units into external service providers
• Reducing IT cost and needless complexity

Projects can be rather complex to design, deploy, secure and manage; therefore, a project requires a strong level of expertise to execute it proficiently. It is a big advantage if the supplier also has the capabilities to deliver IT project management services. A dedicated IT project management team can focus on delivering trouble-free implementation with minimal disruption to your business. They can deliver your requirements expediently, from commencement of your project, or at any stage in the project life cycle.
The advantages that you will gain whilst working with such a provider are as follows:

• Aligning business and technology strategy
• Reducing IT complexity
• Improving overall efficiency and /or costs
• Professional and cost effective transition programmes
• Change management from experienced professionals
• Independent 3rd party consulting will help non-emotional decision making
• Expertise when none is available

These advantages will translate into the benefits of your ability to:

• Evaluate and prepare a comprehensive IT plan to minimise wastage of labour and spend, if time or experience is an issue
• Complement or enhance skills sets where deficiencies are apparent
• Improve efficiencies of your work force, if forced upon the individual or department

One of the top 10 universities in the United Kingdom is an example of a client that required IT consulting assistance. The challenge they faced was that, changes in the university funding made it imperative to improve cost savings. Their IT consultants met with key members of their personnel and identified areas of improvement. Then, a technology audit was conducted, wherein the current delivery landscape was mapped to identify areas where the cost to profit initiatives could be exploited, with a view to further reducing IT costs for the University. This resulted in the University as a whole, experiencing reduced costs and improved efficiencies, which enabled it to take on significant projects, in addition to day to day tasks.

You can read more about how Allied Worldwide helped Sheffield Hallam University achieve greater operational and cost efficiency with our IT Consulting Services.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ramy_Stuart