Why You Need an Annual Technology Plan
The Importance of an Annual Technology Plan
You may wonder why CompassMSP recommends and provides our managed service clients with an annual Technology Plan.
When new clients come in, we often see that their previous technology plan is akin to opening a time capsule. Their last technology plan could have been when their computers were running on Windows XP!
Business owners often update their business plan regularly to account for factors such as new services or investments. Your technology plan should be just as important; technology is a vital part of running your business today.
How an Annual Technology Plan Helps Your Business
The worst thing possible for your organization is taking a reactive approach to your technology (ie. fixing it when it breaks). If something is broken, or even slow, it severely reduces productivity, or even worse, causes downtime. “Quick fix” implementations are both ineffective and often more expensive.
Additionally, a reactive approach limits your organization’s ability to take advantage of new technology that may dramatically improve your business.
An annual technology plan allows you to take a strategic approach to your IT needs. It assesses areas such as your network, hardware and software, databases, cybersecurity, and operating systems, to determine where improvements are needed.
In addition, the best technology planning works with your leadership team to take a strategic look at where your business is going and what types of technology may be needed in the near and longer term.
By regularly reviewing your technology needs, and creating a plan to address them, a yearly technology plan improves your workers’ productivity and morale. It also allows you to provide better services to your clients. It prepares your company for a stronger future.
What A Yearly Technology Plan Should Do
Things a yearly technology plan should address and include:
- Major IT accomplishments from the past year, and how you can build on them
- Pain points in your technology, including cybersecurity concerns or any current inefficiencies
- Goals for the upcoming year in addressing pain points
- IT needs that are in line with broader company goals such as additional machines for your shop floor, implementing a better practice management software for your firm, or acquiring new compliance certifications
- A timeline and budget for implementing these changes
- Overall IT trends and how they will affect your company
Planning
An annual technology plan involves in-depth planning. Some initiatives that come out of this plan may require more than a year to put into place due to complexity, budget constraints, or other issues. That’s why it is important to start now and review yearly. You can’t get where you’re going if you don’t start!
Who should create this plan?
A yearly technology plan can’t solely rely on your IT staff or technology partner. After all, it has a massive impact on and across your business.
When CompassMSP does technology planning for our clients, we involve high-level stakeholders and encourage understanding and buy-in from all affected teams.
The process is managed by our virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO) who has both the IT background and management experience necessary to pull together the right team.
Take the Next Step
If you are already a CompassMSP full managed service client (Autopilot), reach out to your vCIO with any questions you may have on this process.
If you are not yet a CompassMSP client, and would like to learn more about our technology planning process, complete the form below to start the conversation.
