Best Practices for New IT Managers: IT Strategy

New IT managers often find themselves in an exhilarating and daunting position. As with any new initiative, the best place to start is to take stock of your environment, determine where you are, and build a plan for where you want to be. Likely, that means you’ll need to start with your overarching strategy. This collection of articles will help you find your footing as a new manager with expert advice and best practices for aligning your IT strategy with business goals, taking ownership of the end-user experience, enforcing governance and compliance methodologies, and ensuring business continuity for sustained success.

Align Your IT Strategy with Business Goals

In IT management, your primary customers are the internal stakeholders and end users who rely on your technology solutions. In many organizations, IT acts as a support crew rather than an integral business component. The key is transforming IT from a support service into a strategic partner. This shift in perspective ensures all employees have the tools and resources they need to do their jobs, minimizes inefficiencies, and ensures that the priorities of the IT department are aligned with the business’s larger goals.

Further Reading for New IT Managers:

1. The Importance of Organizational Alignment and How to Achieve It
2. Achieve Business-Technology Alignment
3. Three Key Pillars of a Successful IT Plan
4. Digital Transformation Best Practices for Businesses on a Budget

Support the End User

Today, you can’t get through a workday without using some sort of technology. It is prevalent in both our personal and business lives and as a result, employees expect it to just work. It doesn’t matter if the end-user is trying to print a document, send an email, or compile a C++ program, the technology must be easy to use, reliable, and responsive. To be successful, IT must deliver streamlined, efficient services and robust customer support. You can directly impact the company’s bottom line by reducing downtime and the costs associated with inefficient workflows or system outages.

Further Reading for New IT Managers:

1. IT Operations Management (ITOM) vs. IT Service Management (ITSM)
2. What Is Application Performance Monitoring?
3. What Is Real User Monitoring?
4. Integrating Business Applications with Enterprise SSO: Top Tips & Considerations
5. 10 Ways a Help Desk Can Help You

Establish Robust Policies and Procedures

Accidents and disasters happen. If you have clear protocols for responding, you’ll likely experience fewer disruptions or downtime and avoid the negative business impacts that come with them. In a business sense, “governance” is the creation and enforcement of policies, practices, and procedures that minimize risk. Effective governance not only ensures your organization meets regulatory requirements, but also reduces the chances of costly data breaches, legal penalties, and downtime. Comprehensive policies create a defensive shield and show stakeholders that their data is secure, their privacy is respected, and business operations comply with legal standards.

Further Reading for New IT Managers:

1. What Is an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)?
2. The Beginners Guide to Data Governance
3. 5 Compliance Management Tools for SMBs
4. Building an Effective IT Risk Management Toolkit
5. How to Pick the Best Security Framework for Your Organization

Ensure Business Continuity

The IT department is known for keeping the organization’s technology available, reliable, and effective, especially during unexpected events. Every organization needs a business continuity plan that outlines what constitutes an issue, acceptable service levels, and a clear path to resolve any problems quickly. Business continuity involves more than just maintaining continuous operations; it also includes resilience, which may require additional plans for data backup and recovery, loss of internet access, physical loss of equipment, and more. A proactive strategy will help mitigate unexpected risks, reduce outage costs, and maintain your organization’s financial stability.

Further Reading for New IT Managers:

1. 5 Step Guide To Business Continuity Planning
2. Best Practices for Disaster Recovery Planning
3. 4 Key Aspects of Data Backup and Recovery
4. 5 Steps to Building a Better Vulnerability Management Program
5. The Complete Guide to Incident Response

Conclusion

New IT managers don’t have to spend their first year figuring things out as they go. By aligning strategic IT initiatives with overall business goals and establishing strong governance frameworks, you can make a meaningful impact on your organization. Best of luck on your journey to becoming a transformational IT manager!