Counting the cost of IT

Today every business is, at some level, an IT dependent business. Our experience and research suggests that maintaining network and systems ‘up time’ can be the single most important factor in business effectiveness. Few businesses like to analyse or quantify the full costs of system ‘downtime’, and many hard-pressed IT managers don’t have the time, but the fact is having seamless IT continuity is a winning strategy.

The question to ask is ‘how well is your IT?’ Is it healthy and ‘fit for purpose’, or does it have issues and challenges due to legacy installations or suffer from ‘lack of fit’ owing to changes within business direction? Is it robust in its own right and secure from external attack? Has your IT system been documented in a way it can be easily restored in the case of server failure? Finally, are you paying the right amount for your IT provision?

An accurate appraisal of these issues can be quite scary, but it is an essential part of prudent IT systems management.

Without all the facts it is impossible to make future-facing IT decisions. At ramsac we have the IT experience and IT expertise to give you an independent opinion in the following areas:

• System health check and Documentation
• IT Costs and Contract audit
• IT Security audit
• IT Skills and Roles audit

Networks grow and change so rapidly it is essential to ensure your entire IT provision is accurately documented in order to quickly establish replacement provisions in the event of an IT crisis.

The starting point is a basic system health check carried out by ramsac’s Network Consultants. They carry out a thorough IT audit and output a detailed inventory which covers hardware, software and peripherals, along with recommendations with regard to areas of vulnerability and improvement.

We also have the breadth of knowledge to accurately benchmark the costs of IT and IT services. Advances in technology increasingly make today’s IT market extremely competitive and ramsac is in the ideal position to advise on how best to drive value for money in the IT budget. The IT Costs and Contract audit will give you a complete breakdown of what you are currently getting for your money across all services.

IT Security is an increasingly sensitive issue – all businesses require due diligence not only to their shareholders but also to their customers and the public at large. The simple fact is that even experienced IT managers may be totally unaware of their current preparedness should the system come under attack, or the costs of the system being compromised. Our detailed security audit uses a range of tools to provide a complete overview of your system readiness.

At the end of the day, IT is not just all about ‘noughts and ones’, it is a sophisticated business function run by human beings who themselves need ongoing support and ‘upgrading’ through training and mentoring programmes. However, many businesses do not have the informed HR resource to plan and manage the careers of their IT professionals. The ramsac IT Skills and Roles audit will assess the performance levels of your team and make the necessary recommendations to fill any ‘gaps’ in the knowledge resource.