Business Benefits of Information Technology Strategy Consulting
IT management consulting services are the new black nowadays, and every small to large-scale business gets more and more interested in expert assistance with strategic planning and amending. But what IT strategy consultants do, and how they can help your business IT strategy consulting needs? Read on to find out the answers to these questions and gain insight into specifics on choosing a reliable information technology strategy consulting partner.
Who Is an Information Management Consultant?
An information management consultant is an expert that helps companies of different scales and industries to develop, implement, and improve their technology strategies. IT strategy is a broad term that includes the company’s approaches to managing software, hardware, resources, technologies, and policies.
IT strategy consulting may be complex or cover only the required aspects, such as infrastructure consulting, or digital transformation assistance. The information management consultant works directly with CTO or CIO of the company so that he or she can understand the specifics of the particular business and provide the best recommendations on achieving its technology goals.
Some IT strategy experts specialize in particular fields, while others take a broad approach to IT processes. Strategic technology consultants examine different aspects of the company’s performance and suggest solutions for optimizing and improving processes within the company according to the IT strategy. Moreover, such specialists assist with reshaping current strategy goals, defining strategic IT objectives, and planning the ways of achieving the desired results.
Sample of Skills & Expertise of Information Management Consultant
If you consider hiring a reliable IT strategy consultant to reshape your IT efforts and develop concise strategic goals, it is important to know what skills and knowledge an expert should have. Here are the top skills of an IT management consultant you should look for in a person or team:
- Top-down problem solving
An IT strategy consultant should have experience with identifying the business problems, assessing the operational processes, and determining the right approaches to solving them.
- Solution-focused approach
A professional knows how to structure and process the received information, as well as how to present the findings and justify provided recommendations. An IT management expert is not biased towards facts or frameworks, nor he or she is template-driven.
- Prioritization skills
An IT consulting specialist can prioritize tasks and makes rational decisions based on the needs of the company, the environment, and the technology goals your business wants to achieve. By focusing on outcomes and cutting unnecessary processes and complex communication, an IT strategy professional can come up with the best solutions in the most effective way.
- Proven experience with the latest methods and approaches
- Obviously, an information management consultant should be able to operate with modern technology approaches to provide the most relevant solutions and expert recommendations.
Here is a helpful IT strategy consultant resume sample to form in your mind the image of the partner you need.
Average Salaries of IT Strategy Consultants in Different Countries
It is an open secret that you can find an information management consultant in any country, but there are countries known for the most experienced specialists in the field. The US, the UK, Canada, Poland, and Ukraine are known for their exceptional strategic technology consulting assistance, and these services come at different costs. Let’s take a look at the IT management and average IT consultant hourly rate in these countries:
Country | Cost (Median for all specialists) | Cost (Average for experts on the market) |
The US | $78,665 | $121,000 |
Canada | C$77,324 ($58,772) | C$118,000 ($89,689) |
The UK | £41,117 ($53,497) | £69,000 ($89,775) |
Poland | 150,000zł ($39,029) | 233,000zł ($60,625) |
Ukraine | ₴432,000 ($18,494) | ₴432,000 ($18,494) |
Although there are sums that are considered average all over the country, in reality, the rates of experts in information technology strategy consulting are much bigger. Every business seeks the help of a highly experienced service provider. Therefore, when considering the cost of hiring an IT strategy consultant or any business intelligence engineer in general, take into account the rates of Senior specialists.
Notably, a US technology management consultant earns time and a half compared to the UK or Canadian expert, and the cost of hiring IT strategy specialist depends on the country of living significantly. No wonder that many small to large-scale companies opt for hiring European specialists.
IT outsourcing in Poland is a popular choice for businesses, and there are many experts in different fields, indeed. However, one country shines the brightest when it comes to finding professional IT management consulting services at an adequate cost, and that’s Ukraine. According to The State of European Tech report, Ukraine is one of the leading countries in the European IT arena.
The average sum that Senior IT service management consultant earns equals the median amount in Ukraine, meaning the country provides top-level services in IT development and consulting. The concentration of highly qualified information management consultants is remarkable, and you can get professional assistance at a much lower cost, even compared to Polish IT services.
Mobilunity: IT Strategy Consulting Step-by-Step
An IT strategy consultant is a critical link in a chain of the company’s development and business transformation. At Mobilunity, we use a unique approach to information technology strategy consulting. Our highly experienced information technology consultants use their skills and knowledge to deliver IT strategy recommendations, bring a new perspective on the business processes, and suggest optimal ways of achieving the company’s technology goals.
Our approach of work is aimed to evaluate your IT strategy and business processes as a whole, taking into consideration not only the goals but also process management and organizational aspects. This way, we can assess your company’s performance from different perspectives and provide the most relevant recommendations on the changes and additional processes needed. Here are the steps we follow when providing IT consulting services:
- Understanding your IT strategy
We help to identify and reshape your company’s goals and align your business performance to work in tandem with the objectives.
- Assessing organizational processes
We analyze the operational structure of your company to provide the most relevant recommendations on its optimization. Following the suggestions, you will be able to ensure that your organizational processes operate towards the company’s goals and can be easily measured and modified.
- Creating IT architecture
We help with building a well-designed IT architecture, which is an important part of the overall technology strategy. This way, your organizational requirements will match with the IT environment to achieve your business objectives.
- Providing IT strategy recommendations
We suggest the most relevant solutions so that your technology operations and IT change process management approaches work in sync towards the company’s goals. We can help to implement our recommendations and cooperate on a long-term basis to track your company’s progress and responding to new challenges on your way. IT strategic planning process allows solving problems and minimizing risks according to the current perspectives and expert forecasts.
- Assisting IT budgeting
We assist with creating an effective budget for your IT strategy that will serve your technology needs within the means you have for reaching your company’s goals.
- Revising process management
We provide helpful suggestions on how to implement technology changes and new approaches to ensure the efficient performance of the company with minimal losses of productivity.
- Improving IT security
We help with minimizing cyber challenges a business can face, evaluating risk management approaches, reshaping your business ecosystem, protecting assets, and complying with international regulations.
Business Benefits of Information Technology Strategy Consulting
Let’s take a closer look at the business benefits you can gain by hiring IT management consultant:
- Finding out what your company needs to better align informational technology solutions to your goals and needs
- Realizing your business opportunities and weak points
- Assessing and reducing project risks
- Improving organizational processes within the company and with clients
- Solving operational and informational security issues
- Enhancing your internal audit functions according to your company’s strategy and risk management
- Measuring and improving IT performance
- Improving the utilization of resource assets
- Optimizing your business costs
- Revising your company’s annual IT investment plan
- Increasing employee satisfaction
There are only pros and no cons of turning to an IT strategy consultant. This expert is the wild cart that every IT business should keep in the pocket.
Factors to Keep in Mind When Choosing IT Strategy Consulting Partner
When on the lookout for IT strategy consulting firms that can help your company, make sure to take into account these five points. A reliable information technology strategy consulting provider should clearly specify the following information on its website or per your request:
- Experience
One of the main factors to consider if the level of experience of the company. If the firm has been on the market for several years and has a strong portfolio of projects and cases the team has worked on, you can be assured of its professionalism. When it comes to IT strategy issues, it is essential to turn to real experts with a proven track of successful projects.
- Specialization
Although an IT strategy consulting firm can have a great portfolio, it is important to correlate the type of projects it has worked on with the specifics of your business. For example, if the IT management experts have dealt with the insurtech industry so far, and you run a medical technology company, the chances are the provider’s experience will be quite irrelevant for your field. Moreover, specialization brings the quality you need.
- Methodology
IT strategy consulting is all about methods, approaches, expertise, and the latest solutions used. Thus, it is important to know and evaluate both the qualifications and the project management methodology adopted in a particular company. Besides following the agreement in terms of time, budget, and scope of work, the information technology management consulting firm should use the latest approaches in work to deliver the best results.
- Company culture
Another important thing to pay your attention when choosing an IT strategy consulting partner if whether the company culture fits into your defined culture in the workplace. The provider should share the same viewpoints on your business needs and be open to discussions and feedback. Although the company culture is not a thing you can measure technically, if you feel that a particular partner is not of your wavelength, there’s nothing wrong with considering another company that you will feel comfortable working with.
- Cost
Last but not least is the cost of services that the IT strategy consulting firm provides. Quality does not always costs a fortune, and the high rates do not always mean top-level expertise. Be smart with choosing a reliable information management consultant and work with the company that provides high-quality services at an adequate cost.
Keeping in mind these helpful tips, you will choose the best IT strategy consulting provider for your company’s needs. If you need expert assistance, at Mobilunity, we have professional IT strategy and management consultants with vast experience in different fields. If looking for IT strategy experts – choose Mobilunity!
If you want to hire a highly experienced information management consultant, Mobilunity is ready to provide you with the best specialists in the field. Contact us today and get the first-class assistance you deserve!
Disclaimer: All salaries and prices mentioned within the article are approximate NET numbers based on the research done by our in-house Recruitment Team. Please use these numbers as a guide for comparison purposes only and feel free to use the contact form to inquire on the specific cost of the talent according to your vacancy requirements and chosen model of engagement.