Technology - Innovative Staff Insights on Technology

Who Do You Trust?

The title "Trusted Advisor" has become a buzzword in the world of technology consulting. The idea of a trusted advisor is great in concept, however very few have earned and practiced this role.... Full article

Technology Assessments

Assessing your technology is a critical first step before implementing any strategies or new technologies. Not only can an assessment identify deviations/gaps from your technology plan, but they can also identify... Full article

Technology Plans can Benefit Small & Medium Businesses Too

Most SMBs solely focus on the daily operations and often fail to plan their overall business direction. A solid technology plan can provide solid direction, help reach businesses goals, and even save money. Full article

Technology is like a Hammer

Technology needs well-trained and knowledgeable people to bring out all of its benefits. Your technology must fit within your operations, work for your people, and have the support in place to be effective. Full article

On Demand Business Through Service Oriented Architecture

The demand for innovation and rapid changes has forced enterprises to focus on core competencies and outsource remaining functions to partners. Thus the need to be on demand through service orientation. Full article

What's Your Security Strategy ?

This primer serves two purposes: to introduce some security strategies and to provide helpful insights into those organizations with existing security strategies. Full article

Tech Tuesdays | February 7th, 2012 - Torry Butler

The title "Trusted Advisor" has become a buzzword in the world of management consulting, even more so Technology consulting. The idea of a trusted advisor is great in concept, however very few have earned and practiced this role. A trusted advisor truly has their client's interests at heart and does not steer them to solutions that are more profitable for their business. A trusted advisor can work in any environment. When fully leveraged, your trusted advisor becomes an invaluable asset with tremendous benefits.

Become Trustworthy
In a time where technology solutions are abundant, there grows a need for specialists. However, these specialists should be viewed as operational additions to your IT staff. A trusted advisor is strategic in nature. As such, they should be able to evaluate a myriad of solutions before recommending the best fit. This is where some companies abuse the title of "Trusted Advisor". How can you initially trust an advisor who has spent a lot of time and money into keeping their specialized technology solution certifications active or get paid to recommend specific products?

A CIO by any other name
In the case of smaller and mid-sized businesses, a CIO may be too expensive. A trusted advisor in this environment is extremely critical as they often are helping the business owner and non-technical people make the right technology decisions. Thus, your business gets a CIO, but without the CIO price.

A Side-by-Side Partner
A trusted advisor does not always have to function as a CIO. Many large organizations bring in advisors with specific industry experience to help with large system implementations, solution identification and other tasks that are on the strategic level. In this case, the advisor works alongside the existing IT department and CIO.

Final Thoughts
Hiring a trusted advisor is a process. The first word in the title says it all, trusted. It takes time to build trust, it takes experience, and it takes the right person. A trusted advisor will be heavily involved the technology direction of business, and everyone you must feel comfortable working together.