Top Rated IT Strategy Consulting Companies

With so much of any business today driven by the technology it uses, success is tied to how well you adopt both existing and newly emerging technology compared to your competitors. Get it right, and you can leap ahead of the market with more agile, effective operations and consumer offers. Get it wrong, and you can end up spending a fortune for something that not only doesn't help you move forward but can actively drag you backwards.

Strategy consultants are hired by clients to support them with strategic decision making, which includes the development of strategy and, to an extent, the execution of strategic plans in relation to the purchase and use of technology in every aspect of the business. From switching to cloud-based apps, adopting a new version of Windows or any other technology, you need to have an effective, consistent strategy as all of these things can drastically affect the fundamentals of how your business operates.

What are IT consulting services? IT consulting is about helping your business succeed by advising and managing your IT infrastructure. Put simply; we help you achieve your objectives through IT. Think about what IT does for your business, whether it is a network solution that enables remote working, cloud storage that gives your sales team access to crucial data on the road or new technology that allows for better monitoring and control of production machines, technology shapes how your business works at every level.

Through consultation with IT experts, you can plan effective IT strategies that deliver cost-effective use of IT both today and into the future, ensuring that your business has the infrastructure in place to support the business now, and the scalability to continue to deliver as you grow. IT is intertwined with success in the modern business, and just as you must have an effective strategy for product development and market growth, you need an effective plan for IT ownership that can support those strategies.

IT strategies are unique for every situation, what works for a competing business may not be ideal for you. It should be focused on providing the tools and infrastructure that enables your business to operate as efficiently as possible today, while providing the scalability and upgradability that means it can grow as you do while minimising additional IT costs in the future.

A good IT strategy keeps in balance 2 elements: supporting daily operations and developing for the future (new architecture, new systems, new technologies). Some IT and business leaders focus only on current problems and take no time to establish a long-term strategy.

For any business, the best strategy is one that is tailored for their unique situation. There is no 'off the shelf' solution for your IT procurement and adoption strategy, it must be relevant to your specific needs. Adopting the very latest technology may be perfect for some, but for others it represents costs and risks that are simply impractical, and a different strategy is more effective. These differences are why it is crucial to find an IT consultant who can take the time to understand your business and its needs to develop a bespoke solution to fit your situation.

This will depend on the consultant and the work being done. Many consultants choose to earn money on a per-project basis rather than an hourly rate. From the outset you must be paid fairly - and perhaps even generously. Setting the appropriate consulting fee rates is integral to being a successful consultant.

However, the fee is not always the only way a consultant earns from their work. By building relationships with IT suppliers, consultants can often earn commissions from equipment sales, but they should make this known beforehand. This does not harm the client though, as a consultant will usually have such relationships with several brands to ensure they can always offer the best for each client and negotiate competitive pricing that delivers savings for clients compared to retail purchase.

In this way, the strategy is never compromised by forcing in IT equipment unsuited to the situation, and clients get a great deal for the equipment that they need.

Because there is a lot of work involved in effective strategy building, including extensive time spent in researching and understanding business operations and future goals, consultants tend to charge per hour of work rather than a cost per project.

Overall costs vary considerably depending on how extensive the scope of the work, however Australian businesses can expect to pay around $120 an hour for the services of a quality IT strategy consultant.