How to Get the Most out of Your IT Consulting Relationship in a Digital Transformation

Is your company among the 64% undertaking a digital transformation? If you are enlisting the help of an IT consultant or managed service provider (MSP), you may be in the throes of a true IT makeover.

You may remember the popular TV show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” that aired from 2003-2012. One aspect of the show that was consistently part of the appeal was the “wish list” that the producers sought to fulfill for the guests. Requests ran the gamut, from built-in bookshelves to rocket ship decor. It was always amazing to see how the “Makeover” developers would hit it out of the park in fulfilling the wish lists episode after episode.In a very real sense, your wish list as a client of an IT service provider should be as important as if a reality television producer was going to feature your company undergoing a digital transformation. An understanding of needs, clear communication, innovation are some baseline expectations you should have of your MSP relationships. Here are some ways these can and should manifest in the relationship:

An understanding of your business needs
As your business grows or takes new directions, your IT consultant or MSP should be a partner that not only follows you but is willing to be a strategic partner as you take next steps in the right direction. In a recent article in CIO.com on digital transformations, a company described how critical it was for IT to understand what the CEO and functional areas expect of IT. In the past, IT had been treated as a cost center. Going forward, especially in helping employees to understand aspects of digital changes (e.g. applications, mobile, data, analytics), IT would be at the forefront in helping the company to embrace what it needs to succeed.

Clear communication
Clear communication with an MSP shouldn’t be on a wish list. It should be an expectation. And remember that communication is a two-way street. The urgency and appropriateness of an MSP’s response sometimes hinges on the needs communicated to them. By hiring an MSP, you're entering into a partnership with a creative, solution-driven team. They will monitor and respond to a variety of of issues that may not even be on your radar. Their involvement in discussions at every level of your business may offer insights that will only enhance your business and innovation.

Innovation
A company undergoing a digital transformation is already seeking innovation through IT. Maximizing the relationship with an MSP will ensure that innovation is meaningful, economical, and sustainable. If, for example, your focus as a company needs to be about building an application or service, your MSP can allow your teams this focus while they build an infrastructure that scales. They can ensure that firewalls, application servers, web servers, etc. are architected in a way that allows for growth. Keeping the service and data resilient and secure is key to establishing a positive impression with your customers.

As with “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” the grand reveal at the end of the show was always the most exciting part. As you seek to capitalize on your relationship with your MSP, ensure that your expectations aren’t treated as an impossible wish list in an IT makeover.

Is your company embarking on an Electronic Design Automation (EDA) to build a semiconductor device? Download our Electronic Design Automation (EDA) white paper to learn more about how making the right choices can enhance the success, lower the cost and reduce the design time to make a new semiconductor device.