The Key to a Successful IT Modernization

Technology is snowballing. Data is getting bigger, technology advancements are replacing outdated versions at an alarming rate, and companies are forced to keep up with changes lest they get left behind in the dust.

In the past decade, flip phones became smart. Virtual reality became portable and reality itself became augmented. It’s an exciting time for the consumer of new technology, but it can make business difficult for organizations that want to stay cutting edge and relevant. The digital enterprise is transforming and creating new challenges for IT departments on a global level.

As a result, businesses are prioritizing IT modernization in an effort to keep corporate technology up-to-date. IT modernization can be a big task but, according to IT Business Edge, the key to success includes “proper planning, alignment with current and future goals and objectives, understanding vulnerabilities, and finding the right partner in order to facilitate implementation.”

In the article “5 Tips to Successfully Plan for IT Modernization,” Mark Lewis, CEO of Formation Data Systems, discusses the five main things IT leaders should prioritize when undertaking IT modernization in their organizations. Among these tips are Lewis’ recommendations to mobilize and modernize, automate as many processes within the business as possible, and to understand and address vulnerabilities.

Lewis states that organizations should undertake a review to “identify operational processes than can potentially hinder adoption, stifle growth and introduce errors.” Where possible, organizations should be looking to “replace any manual steps with automated processes and self-service enablement.” This process of automation will help organizations to reduce inefficiencies and decrease margins for error while also maintaining a consistent level of service delivery.

Likewise, effective security measures are crucial in the growing landscape of modern technology; organizations are dealing with an increased amount of sensitive and confidential information and it is important that information remain secure and reliable. During IT modernization, organizations need to be aware of any potential vulnerabilities that may occur during a change in technology. Lewis recommends organizations perform “an audit of not only security processes and data governance, but also [that they take] a careful look at the data lifecycle to ensure that the data is always available and recoverable under any failure scenario.” As technology changes, modern approaches to data security are a critical approach to any IT modernization undertaking.

One of the most important steps to IT modernization—and one that we at Reflex Enterprise Solutions Group regularly promote—is making sure you partner with the right organization. Bringing a business’s technology into the future means avoiding old legacy infrastructure—avoiding programs that can’t keep up with modern applications and big data. As Lewis states:

“Legacy infrastructure typically lacks the right architectural components, APIs and service automation capabilities to make these initial implementations successful. That is where selecting the right technology partner is critical. It’s important that the solution provider can ensure success in the initial deployments and once these initial projects have been proven, then work with you to expand to other initiatives based on business priorities and costs.”

In order for IT modernization to drive business growth throughout an organization, the solution must lie with cutting edge technology systems and apps that can ensure success well into the future. At Reflex, we make a point to only partner with organizations that can truly benefit from our next generation enterprise solution—not only does our software replace and modernize legacy infrastructure, it offers modern tools such as embedded analytics, mobile access and web portals, and extensive security features to ensure each organization’s IT modernization processes are successful and profitable.

Organizations looking to modernize their IT departments have a lot to consider but, with the right partner and the right solution, the process can be handled with ease while ensuring that company data remains accessible and safe.

Learn more about modernizing your company’s technology with the next generation Reflex ERP solution.

Read the full article on IT Business Edge here.

*Originally posted on LinkedIn Pulse by Cheryl Cottrell-Smith on July 14, 2016.