The Value of a Technology Spring Cleaning

 By Danny Harris, Ph.D., PMP                                                               Co- Author, Dimitri Dizna 

Former CIO, U.S. Department of Education                                                     CEO, BINARC                                                         

Senior Strategic Advisor, BINARC                                                                       Senior Solutions Architect

The end of a calendar year typically causes business owners to reminisce about both the achievements and failures of their company/organization over the previous twelve months.

While there certainly is value in taking note of what went right and what went wrong, an even greater value comes from planning for the upcoming business year. Every company is made up of the basic fundamental building blocks of Sales, Marketing, Finance, Operations, and HR.

While attention is paid to the changes that need to occur in these areas, few companies invest energy in assessing both the technology and processes that drive the company’s mission.

A well-planned assessment of your technology ecosystem has many benefits.

Some include:

• • It allows the company to sunset and retire old, antiquated hardware and software that is difficult and expensive to maintain.
  • It allows the company to upgrade tools that represent drains on efficiency.
  • It allows the company to evaluate its security profile and take steps to eliminate vulnerabilities.
  • It allows the company to consider newer technologies that offer cost savings or revenue generating capabilities.
  • It allows the company to invest in tools that foster communication and collaboration within the company and with its customer base.
    
    

Make your business or organization resilient against whatever comes next!

While few would argue that these are good reasons to evaluate the IT footprint, most companies don’t know how to execute the review or have the expertise to complete the task. At a very high level, a methodology for such a review would include these tasks:

1. 1. Perform an inventory of all hardware, software, licensing, and IT procedures maintained by the company.
2. Document the age and end-of-life of each item in the inventory.
3. Determine who if anyone uses each item in the inventory.
4. Make a list of those items that should be discontinued.
5. Review the IT Marketplace for upgrades and replacement technology.
6. Review the total-cost-of-ownership of your IT ecosystem.
7. Include the total cost of ownership into the company’s annual operating budget.
   
   

This exercise yields several very valuable products and assets for the entity.

For example, if analyzed properly, this data will indicate where revenue leaks are occurring. Oftentimes, paying exorbitant costs for maintaining and repairing outdated equipment limits companies from taking those very funds and investing in more powerful and cost-effective technologies.

Another good example of this exercise is finding both hardware and software/applications that no one in the organization uses anymore. Often, when companies bring on new technology, they fail to sunset and dispose of assets that have been replaced.

Not only is this a drain on operations budgets but it can also represent security vulnerabilities, given the old assets are likely not properly patched. These examples are the tip of the proverbial iceberg in terms of completing an IT Spring Cleaning. While this approach appears very simplistic, much work goes into executing it properly.

As a Microsoft Partner, BINARC is skilled at supporting its clients in reviewing, upgrading, and optimizing their current technology footprint. We utilize a documented methodology for executing a robust assessment that results in powerful deliverables that allow company decision makers to right-size their ecosystem. To learn more and get your company off to a productive 2022, schedule a free high-level review of your company’s environment by contacting us at 202-681-7787 or visiting our website.