Driving Business Growth Through IT Infrastructure

IT infrastructure is often a practice that is avoided or stepped around, with many companies simply going with the flow when it comes to their IT management. Many businesses will only make changes and upgrades when it becomes necessary due to equipment failures. Operating your IT planning in this reactive, fire-fighting way is not going to support and help your business grow. A good and well thought out IT infrastructure should be aligned with the businesses goals and growth plans.

While an efficient IT plan does take time and careful planning to create, they are worthwhile and will help your business reach its goals and prevent issues and faults. Having a decent IT infrastructure in place can help a company to optimise its resources, save costs, reduce dependencies and improve productivity. On the other end of the spectrum, having a poor or non-existent IT plan can result in outdated systems, digital skills gaps and lack of productivity all of which can affect your bottom line.

It can all be a bit overwhelming with where to start when creating an IT infrastructure for your business, which often puts organisations off. However, if it is done properly, it will pay off in the long run. Architecture and Governance Magazine revealed that some Fortune 500 companies and government agencies had validated returns on investment as high as 700% thanks to their investment in IT planning.

Here at Cyan Solutions, we have the expertise and knowledge to assist you in creating an effective and powerful IT infrastructure that supports your business and its long-term goals with a proactive approach. We do not believe in one-size-fits-all, and so our approach to all projects is considered and structured; we highly tailor every detail to fit seamlessly with your business model. Following a plan, create, maintain model, we work carefully at every stage to ensure we develop a service that truly addresses your individual needs – both now and in the future.

Plan: How to prepare for creating an effective IT infrastructure

A thorough audit of everything your business currently has by way of IT and everything it will need in the future is the best place to start when creating an IT plan. On the surface, it may seem that an IT plan only concerns hardware and software, but there is so much more to consider. It is important to think about the human resources of the business, the cost management involved, and also the risk management.

At Cyan Solutions, we work closely with our customers to undergo comprehensive reviews that will give us a detailed insight into the businesses IT needs and assets. This process provides us with the opportunity to integrate our strategic thinking as part of your team.

Once we have completed a comprehensive audit and got a full understanding of your business needs, we can then help to create an actionable IT framework strategy and plan that covers all aspects of the company. At this stage, we will also ensure that your IT infrastructure is fully GDPR compliant.

Create: Designing and implementing the IT framework

Once the plan has been finalised and agreed upon, we will get started on designing and implementing the infrastructure, while ensuring minimal disruption to the day to day running of your business. We will develop your new IT capabilities through the previously planned and agreed software and hardware. Working closely with all vendors and software providers, we will unlock the potential of your IT.

At this stage we also ensure everyone within the business is happy and fully trained on any new platforms or applications that have been implemented. We use technical architecture to tailor the IT infrastructure to be specific to your business needs while ensuring the highest levels of security, flexibility and accessibility. It is the advantage of proven technology, tailored to your individual needs and goals.

Maintain: Proactive maintenance and performance monitoring

We guarantee a long-term solution and offer the highest level of service with a robust set of agreements. Once your new IT infrastructure is up and running, we continue to work hard to troubleshoot for any potential issues and provide proactive maintenance to help keep your systems up to date and running in the best possible way for your business.

We will implement any relevant patches, monitor overall performance, and keep on top of industry issues. Our expert teams will guarantee your new system is upgraded and adapted where necessary and ensure that your infrastructure is properly protecting your customer’s data and is always fully GDPR compliant.

When you choose Cyan Solutions, you can expect fast and responsive help from a knowledgeable team that is always on hand to help. As a result, you will get exceptional service whenever you need it, as well as total transparency on our performance. With your IT infrastructure taken care of, you can reap the rewards and focus your attention on your business growth strategy.

Start your growth strategy today

If you want to find out more about how Cyan Solutions can help you to plan, create and maintain an IT infrastructure that will support your business growth, get in touch with our expert team today.

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Why Use A Virtual CIO? 

The fast-paced world of IT can make it very difficult for small businesses to keep up. Having a full IT department to not only maintain the day to day core functioning but also to strategise for the future of the organisation comes at great expense. Fortunately, there are ways for enterprises to enjoy the value of a strategic IT department, without the significant costs and impact on the whole business budget. Introducing a Virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO).

What Is a Virtual CIO?

A Virtual Chief Information Officer provides all of the services of an on-site IT department, such as maintaining computers, protecting servers and troubleshooting IT issues. However, as you do not need staff, it is a service that provides IT protection at a significantly reduced cost.

As well as maintaining IT systems in a way an IT team or managed IT service provider can offer, a virtual CIO has the ability, knowledge and skillset to strategise your IT requirements and plan for the future.  Using in-depth analytics and expertise in strategy, budget planning and operations, a virtual CIO can go beyond traditional IT services and be proactive for your organisation. This advanced skillset can not only help your business to save money, but by utilising a virtual CIO instead of employing a full-time CIO, you can enjoy superior services for less.

Having a virtual CIO allows your business to remain competitive. Your organisation can enjoy an advanced strategic role without the staffing costs. With a virtual CIO, you have the flexibility and reduced costs that your business needs. You can utilise virtual CIO services for a few hours a week or choose a service on an as and when basis. At Cyan Solutions, we will work with your organisation to plan your virtual CIO needs so that you have the right level of virtual CIO assistance that your business requires.

What can a virtual CIO do?

Ultimately, a virtual CIO can seek out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for your business and help your organisation to be proactive in its response. One aspect in which small businesses can particularly gain an advantage is with risk, governance and compliance. Penalties in the technology sector can be rife, particularly when it comes to data. With a virtual CIO, you can stay ahead of the changes in the industry and make sure that you put your compliance plan in place before any deadlines.

Other areas that a virtual CIO can help with is improving all aspects of your IT planning both in the short-term and long-term, to help lessen the impact on your bottom line. Virtual CIO service may help you to evaluate aspects of your IT that you have yet to consider. Looking beyond the architecture and service you provide, a virtual CIO can help with elements including;

  • Performance analytics
  • Web and communications strategy
  • Telecommunication
  • Knowledge sharing and information database
  • Auditing
  • Change and change management.

With all of these aspects considered, a virtual CIO can be a great investment to help reduce costs and improve productivity and efficiency.

Benefits of a virtual CIO

Comprehensive coverage:As discussed above, a virtual CIO covers all of your IT requirements, from day to day maintenance to long-term strategy and planning solutions. With no hidden charges or separate billing, you receive the services you require for the time that your organisation needs. For some organisations, this can mean a fixed monthly cost with 24/7 protection and monitoring. For others, they may require more from a virtual CIO at peak demand periods.

Proactive prevention: A virtual CIO managed system can help to monitor your current IT health with the help of dashboards and analytics. By forecasting and real-time monitoring, you can be sure of a proactive response which can eliminate problems before they arise. With full visibility through an impartial system, your business can make the right decisions based on accurate information.

Increased productivity: By making sure your IT system is well structured and carefully managed, you can reduce the risk of downtime and impacted operations. With a virtual CIO, you can make sure that everything is running efficiently. With updated software, hardware and cloud technology, you can seamlessly increase staff productivity and project uptake to maximise success and keep your projects profitable.

Virtual CIO with Cyan Solutions

Of course, the core benefit of a virtual CIO is how cost effective it can be. By covering all services from a comprehensive IT department in a virtual manner, your business can reduce costs and increase efficiency leading to further savings. At Cyan Solutions, we want every company to realise their potential. After a comprehensive IT audit, we can explain the benefits a virtual CIO can bring to your business and tailor a virtual CIO package to suit your needs.

Find out more about what we can do to help your business and take the first steps to IT efficiency by arranging your IT audit with Cyan Solutions by contacting us.