As your organization plans IT initiatives this year, you may consider hiring an IT consultant to support these initiatives. How do you know when to hire more staff, upgrade your technology, or seek outside help? An IT consultant will give you the advice and guidance you need to understand the best path forward for your business. This article outlines situations when you may consider hiring an IT consultant, and how the experienced team at Elantis can help.
When you need help with a one-off project
A one-off project is a task or project that you need assistance with, but only once. For example, your organization may need to migrate your intranet to Microsoft SharePoint Online or automate a few business processes. If you need someone (or a team) with experience in those areas to make sure everything goes smoothly the first time around, then hiring an IT consultant for one-off projects can save you time and money in the long run. All projects delivered by Elantis are managed through our Project Management Office to enhance the value of our services while continuing to be flexible to our clients’ needs and budgets.
When your IT staff have limited experience in a new system
Sometimes, you have IT staff with little experience in a new system, software, or program. If this is the case for your business, hiring an IT consultant can help you set up and use the technology properly, and will give expert advice on how best to approach specific problems related to the technology. They can also train your existing employees and troubleshoot problems that arise. Finally, they can help you implement new processes that take advantage of the features available in your new system or software program. As a proud Microsoft Gold-certified partner and Nintex Premier Partner, Elantis can support your team with implementing new technologies.
When you need help with a legacy technology
If your organization is using technology that is old and outdated, you may find it difficult to get the most out of it. An IT consultant can assess your current technology and recommend upgrades or modern applications when appropriate, helping your organization run more smoothly and improve productivity. An experienced consultant can provide suggestions based off what has worked well elsewhere—and therefore might work well in your organization, too.
When you don’t have time to do it yourself
Maybe your team is already overloaded with projects, or maybe they simply don’t have the necessary skills to complete the work in question. Either way, hiring an IT consultant will free up their time so they can focus on other priorities. This also has the added benefit of saving money since most consultants can be hired on an hourly or per-project basis.
When you need to make sure your business has the infrastructure it needs
A good infrastructure means more efficient and secure data storage and access. This can help your employees have access to vital information at all times, no matter where they are or what device they’re using. Hiring an IT consultant can help your organization establish sound infrastructure that keeps data and information secure, while ultimately avoiding downtime and lost productivity.
When you want to automate tasks and processes
Automation is a great tool to help reduce costs and increase productivity. IT consultants can help you automate tasks and processes in a variety of ways, including:
- Software solutions that automate common business functions like accounting or payroll.
- Integrated systems that tie together software across different departments in your organization.
- Data analytics tools that automatically identify trends and patterns in information so you can make more informed decisions about how to run your business.
When you have big plans for growth, but your IT capacity isn’t keeping up
You may need more IT capacity for your growing business. If you are planning a big growth phase, be sure to give yourself enough time to hire and train new people or upgrade software systems before trying to implement the changes. Consider outsourcing some of your IT work if it’s not central to your core business. This can free up internal resources for other projects and allow you to focus on what matters most: running your company!
What to do next
Now that you know when to hire an IT consultant, the next step is to understand the scope of your project and determine if it will be done in-house or with a consultant. Then, decide how much time and money you want to spend on hiring an IT consultant. Doing some research about different consultants can help you narrow down your options faster. We’re here to help! Contact us to request a free consultation with an experienced member of our team.
