Why Standardize your IT?

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A state of (IT) confusion

The CEO has a Dell laptop with Windows 10, the finance guy has a Lenovo desktop with Windows 8, and your office co-worker has a Macbook. Some folks use Dropbox, others use Sharepoint, and still others use Google Drive. Linda has McAfee, Jane has Norton, and Bob has ESET. Alex VPNs into the network, while Sue uses remote desktop.

Does it matter?

These scenarios are all too familiar and you may think, ‘does it matter? All those folks can work, they can all share files, have access to the network, and they all have antivirus protection’. That may be true…but what happens when you need to update, replace, find, learn how to use, or support something. That’s when you’ll be pulling out your hair!

Higher level thinking

Handling your business IT with inconsistent standards is not only costly in terms of time and money but could be potentially damaging to your data and intellectual property in the case of lax cybersecurity standards. Read more

How to get your business ready for the future (part 3) – Business Intelligence

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How to get your business ready for the future (part 3) – Business Intelligence

In our previous two digital transformation blog posts we discussed the infrastructure you need before you can digitally transform your organization and we talked about how to change your approach to technology so that it becomes a strategic component of your business. In this blog post, we get to the crux of what digital transformation is all about…Intelligence

At the end of the day, Digital Transformation is all about gaining intelligence on your business that helps you to make better decisions, enabling you to engage and help your clients, empower your employees, optimize your operations, or transform your products.  Read more

Is your IT strategy cohesive across your entire business?

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Is your IT strategy cohesive across your entire business?

In a previous blog post, we talked about the role of IT strategy and how it has changed over time. We described how to move up from a Reactive break-fix model and through the IT Pyramid to increasingly use your IT to drive value in your business.

What happens with an incohesive strategy?

Recently, we discovered a case where part of the business was still in break-fix mode, while other parts of the business had moved into higher levels of IT efficacy. Read more

2018 Spending Bill is good for CT Manufacturers

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Senator Chris Murphy at manufacturing plant in Cheshire

Omnibus Spending Bill has positive effects on CT Manufacturing

As a member of a legislative council on Manufacturing, Ari Santiago, President/CEO of IT Direct, recently received this update from Senator Chris Murphy’s office on some of the positive effects of the new spending bill on Manufacturing in Connecticut. We thought you might like to read it too!

Good morning,

You may have heard that Congress voted on a $1.3 trillion spending bill last week. Senator Murphy supported this bill and wanted me to update you on what this means for Connecticut’s manufacturers, please feel free to share with your respective groups. Read more

Efficacy of technology – can technology meet everyone’s needs?

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Efficacy of technology – can technology meet everyone’s needs?

During a recent meeting with a prospective client, a CEO of a growing manufacturer in Connecticut, he described what he was looking for in technology in terms of efficacy.

Efficacy – the ability to produce a desired or intended result

I thought this was an interesting way to describe what he was looking for – efficacious technology. It leads to the question…what is your desired result? I think he chose this word, because this answer will be different for every single individual in an organization and is entirely dependent on their role. Yet, the request remains that technology be efficacious, or leading to results, for everyone.  Read more

Top 5 ways to prepare for a ransomware attack

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Ransomware attack!
A top cybersecurity threat for businesses today is ransomware – a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid. In fact, 12 Connecticut state agencies were just attacked with ransomware, with 160 computers affected. Luckily, the attack was thwarted by the state’s excellent multi-layered cybersecurity strategy.

Your business needs to be prepared too. And just like the state of CT, the multi-layered approach is the best way to do it.

Here are the top 5 ways to prepare for a ransomware attack: Read more

How to make IT strategy a key component of your business strategy

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How to make IT strategy a key component of your business strategy

Technology is a key component of your business. Are you doing enough to make sure that this key component is helping your company be more productive and efficient and prepare for the future? Chances are, if you don’t have someone dedicated to regularly looking at your technology with one eye on business strategy and the other on the future, the answer is probably no. Below we outline what this role can look like and then we use two recent examples from our clients to show how this role works in action. Read more

How to get your business ready for the future of IT (part 2)

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In our first digital transformation post, we talked about the basics of digital transformation…what it means, how you prepare for it and the importance of a strong and secure infrastructure. If you missed that article, click here to read it.

In this post, we’ll talk about how the role of IT in business has changed over time and how your business approach can change along with it.

The IT Management Pyramid

The pyramid below describes the efficacy of your IT strategy as it improves and develops on the way to Digital Transformation. The goal is to move up the pyramid! The idea is to be continually thinking about how you use IT, the role of IT in business strategy, and where your IT is focused. Each tier of the pyramid is explained more fully below, along with the limitations and benefits of each stage as your business develops its IT strategy. Read more

How to get your business ready for the future of IT (part 1)

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The future of IT = Digital Transformation

You may be hearing a lot about digital transformation right now…but, what does it mean, and what could it mean for your business? Keep looking back at our blog as we unravel the mystery of Digital Transformation.

So, what is it?

In short, digital transformation means preparing your business to take advantage of the massive technology shift that is currently ongoing. It’s not too late…you can do it! This technology shift, sometimes called the 4th Industrial Revolution, is only in its infancy.

We’ve only just started?

Read more

3 Manufacturing Technology Trends for 2018

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Your manufacturing facility may look very different in the years to come. The technological changes that started just a few years ago are becoming readily available and more affordable in 2018. It’s time to start thinking of how you, too, can take advantage of Industry 4.0, aka the “smart factory”. Your company could become more efficient and your employees more productive when you take advantage of some of the technology that is changing the manufacturing industry. Read more