A technology review is the first thing we do for most new clients. It is also a service that varies widely in what you receive. A review worth having ends in a document you can act on.
What it should contain
- Findings stated as business risks. “Nothing warns you when the server room overheats” is a finding. A model number is not.
- A recommendation for each, with an estimate of what it would cost to put right.
- An order of priority, so you know what to do first if you can only do part of the list.
- What to leave alone. An honest note of what is working well.
What we most often find
- Nothing is monitored. Problems are discovered when something stops, and usually by a customer.
- Email and files have outgrown their service. Mailboxes are full and the provider that suited ten people does not suit fifty.
- The network has never been documented. Cables are unlabeled and nobody can say what connects to what.
- Everything depends on one location. A fire, a flood or a theft would stop the business for days.
- Support contracts have lapsed. Equipment is running without updates or a route to a replacement.
How to use it
None of these is unusual, and none needs fixing in a single month. The value of the review is seeing them in one place, in order, so that technology spending becomes a plan you approve and not a series of emergencies. Ask for it in writing, ask for it in plain language, and ask the reviewer to walk you through it.
Related service: IT & CTO/CIO management.