Information Technology is an area that has been growing exponentially in the past years, and has been considered essential for our society.

Companies that want to optimize and simplify internal processes will have to implement tools and technologies that will prepare them for the transformations that happen in the IT market.

However, performing this optimization is not always easy and if done without planning or all the necessary requirements, it can cause several problems that will delay the implementation process.

At this moment, it is essential to hire an IT Consultancy, with specialized professionals that can understand and create a strategic structure that will meet real needs of the business.

Do you want to better understand what an IT Consulting is or what it does? Check out this text for everything you need to know!

What does an IT Consultant do?

Briefly, IT Consultant evaluate and advise the best practices to optimize the IT management of companies.

This assessment covers different aspects from management, implementation, initial analysis and process maintenance.

The goal is not only to do the work for the companies, but mainly to serve as a guide that indicates which paths they should take to achieve their main goals.

How does an IT Consultancy work?

For the structure to be fully implemented, the IT consultant usually goes through some steps, such as:

1. Information Collection/Analysis

In the initial part of the process. The consultant will observe the company’s routine to gather information from different departments to find improvements or obstacles that are in the middle of the production process. 

It is really important that the consultant is present and part of the company’s routine to know how the dynamic works on a day to day basis. 

After analyzing that information the consultant will be able to have a realistic view of what can be implemented, like methodologies and best practices, to systems and tools supported by the company.

2. Personalized planning

As mentioned earlier, the consultancy process provides a service that goes far beyond execution. After all the information is analyzed, the consultant along with the company, will create a personalized plan that matches with the perspectives of the business.

3. Development and Solution tracking

After creating the custom plan, it’s time to develop and implement the solutions. At this time, the consultant’s role is to monitor the entire process and assist in the execution, in addition to instructing employees on best practices.

Also read: How much does custom software cost: learn to calculate and project values

​​When hiring an IT consultancy?

There are many reasons to hire an IT consultancy. Below are the 3 main ones:

1. Software and Equipment

The focus is guiding the purchase or implementation of software, as well as on the network structure, tools or equipment that improve the company’s technological processes.

If your company has a lean development team, for example, it can be helped by consultants, so you will not be held hostage by the shortage of qualified professionals.

Also read: IT turnover: 8 situations to avoid the loss of professional talent

2. Security and Infrastructure

With the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)  getting more demanding, it is extremely important that companies follow the guidelines required by regulatory boards.

Therefore, with this type of consultancy, companies will have an accurate diagnosis of what their organizational risks are related to information security.

3. Complete Consultancy

Complete Consultancy is the outsourcing of the entire service, assuming the responsibility for the entire sector of Technology and Information .

This model is very useful for companies that cannot create an internal IT department and need to focus on other processes.

What is your company’s IT maturity level?

There are 4 levels of company maturity when it comes to IT implementation and management. Check it out below:

1.   Artisanal IT

At this level, the company does not have a well-defined structure or means to measure goals and results. The main characteristic for this stage is the lack of focus or priority in executing received demands.

2.   Reactive IT

This is a basic model, with nonspecific structuring, but without documented control of processes. As the name suggests, the IT team will wait for something to happen (usually a failure) before taking action.

3.   Preventive IT

Different from the previous level, the preventive IT will have resources and processes to avoid specific problems in the company, allowing the service to be more aligned with the expectations of the business.

4.   Proactive IT

Finally, the proactive level is aligned with current market needs and allows IT to be part of the company’s processes and structure.

In addition to prevention, this level allows that all the tools are being used to raise the company’s results. 

What are the main advantages of having an IT Consultant?

IT Consulting can provide several benefits. Here is a list of the most beneficial ones:

●  Help from an Expert

IT consultants are highly qualified professionals focused on transmitting their knowledge to others. This gives the opportunity for other professionals in the company to learn and adopt best practices on a daily basis.

●  Cost-benefit

When hiring a consultancy, companies gain an excellent cost-benefit, since they will have specialized professionals to solve specific problems, only for a certain period.

●  More security

Identifying vulnerabilities and establishing security protocols will help keep the company safe. Especially when we remember that Brazil was the 5th most affected country by cyber attacks in 2021.

●  Increase Results

When you have specialists focused on new technologies, the company can gain from the possibility of having processes that help to optimize their business, which includes a more agile file server and database centralization, among other advancing technologies.

If companies take too long to update their processes to the best practices in the IT universe, they are, consequently, not only prone to being outdated, but having financial and security risks as well.If you like the subject and are interested in this kind of solution, here at LogAp we offer IT consulting with professionals that are focused on developing modern and safe processes for your business routine.