Why you need IT advisors who question the status quo

Note: This article originally appeared on the?Stratosphere Networks website as part of the company’s IT Consulting Review blog series.

The actor, director and writer Alan Alda once advised , “Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.”

Especially as you reflect on 2022 and consider your organization’s trajectory for the upcoming year, it’s worth considering the possibility that assumptions about how your business should operate are clouding your vision. If so, your team could benefit from a partnership with a technology advisory firm that not only delivers expert guidance but also challenges your assumptions, mobilizes your team, and offers insights into new and innovative solutions that will position you for lasting success. ???

The importance of embracing new technologies

Particularly in the realm of IT but also in the business world at large, sticking with the way you’ve always done things is a recipe for eventual disaster. The downfall of Blockbuster is one example of how clinging to the status quo can destroy a business. The video rental company was once a multi-billion dollar company with over 9,000 locations across the U.S., according to Insider . However, the business ended up going bankrupt after more innovative competitors like Netflix got the upper hand.

No matter what industry you’re in, if you fail to keep up with emerging technology, you’ll inevitably end up like Blockbuster. That’s why savvy business leaders have prioritized digital transformation in recent years, adopting advanced solutions such as cloud phone systems , cloud contact center platforms , robotic process automation , and so on. Nearly 60 percent of business executives said their organizations planned to invest a lot in digital transformation initiatives in 2022, according to a PwC survey conducted in January.

However, given the fast-changing and complicated nature of the IT solution landscape, it can be incredibly difficult, if not impossible, for business leaders to stay up to speed on new and emerging technologies and determine which ones their organizations should implement at what time.

Internal decision-making dysfunction holds modern companies back

Additionally, even if you successfully identify the technologies you need to stay competitive, inefficient decision-making processes can stand in the way of progress. In their book “The Challenger Customer ,” Brent Adamson, Matthew Dixon, Pat Spenner, and Nick Toman of the member-based advisory company CEB note that factors such as risk aversion, increasing solution complexity, stricter regulatory requirements, organizational growth, and new management styles and structures have resulted in more and more stakeholders getting involved in corporate purchasing decisions.

“Today’s buyer is more than one person,” Matt Worden wrote in a blog entry on the Challenger Inc. website. “It’s not just two or three people. It could be, on average, 10 or 11 people actively involved in a group B2B decision-making process.”??????

Third-party technology advisors willing to challenge the status quo are in a unique position to identify solutions that make sense for your company and ensure your team doesn’t end up paralyzed during the decision-making process.

Forward-thinking tech advisors can revolutionize your business

At Stratosphere, we’ve developed a methodology that involves going beyond basic guidance to suggest solutions the client hadn’t previously considered and mobilizing their staff to move decisions forward more efficiently.

Our advisory process involves the following steps to rapidly identify and implement solutions that support your company’s long-term success:

• Conducting an assessment to gain an in-depth understanding of your business and IT environment
• Crafting an IT roadmap for your organization with a prioritized list of action items
• Identifying the types of technology you need based on your objectives, current situation, and roadmap
• Finding the best suppliers for your business with advanced tools, an extensive partner network, comparison matrices, and demos to streamline decision-making
• Negotiating with your chosen suppliers on your behalf to get you the best possible deal
• Overseeing solution deployment and ensuring everything goes as smoothly as possible with project management services
• Checking in with your team periodically to ensure your IT solutions are functioning properly and see if you need any additional products or services

To give a real-life example, an Illinois-based power company with an on-premises phone system came to us for assistance supporting their remote and mobile workers. Our advisors conducted an analysis that included what the company was paying for daily maintenance, trunking, and support for their multi-site PBX. We also researched how much it would cost to add the functionalities necessary for effective remote work (e.g., enabling licensing for mobile apps and smartphones).

Then our advisors carried out analyses for several cloud phone systems and scheduled demos for the client. We helped them realize that migrating their phone system to the cloud made the most sense and streamlined the decision-making process by identifying a Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) supplier that offered a similar experience to their on-prem system for on-site workers while also delivering all the features remote and mobile staff members needed to stay productive.

Ultimately, it’s often difficult to keep up with rapidly evolving technologies and get all of the stakeholders involved in the process to agree on what’s best for your company. Working with a third-party IT advisory firm that challenges your assumptions can make the difference between getting stuck and being successful. ?????

Explore our advisory process today by calling 877-599-3999 or emailing?[email protected] .?