Technology and Software

Technology to serve the business – not the other way around

What do we truly mean when we talk about technology?

Technology is a solution to a business problem. It’s a way to improve efficiencies, reduce costs or capitalise on opportunities. Technology should be a kind servant, not a cruel master – it’s not something to be feared or worshipped or allowed to drive the organisation’s overall agenda.

At Clarity Business Services, we believe that technology is an “enabler” and not an end in itself. Far too often, organisations waste time and money procuring the wrong technology, or the newest, flashiest technology, or “technology in search of a home,” without analysing their needs and identifying the right solution to suit their needs.

Although we are passionate about technology, we are more passionate about helping our clients build smartly run businesses based on sound strategic choices. Technology should serve the business, not the other way around.

The problem with business technology...

It is unfortunate to note that time and again Clarity has encountered clients who get halfway through an IT project and face a number of problems in trying to realise the business benefits of the project. Often, these clients have procured the software or technology without first conducting a proper analysis of their needs and finding out how the new software or technology will meet these needs.

In many cases organisations select and implement technology and software based on a narrow and poorly defined set of system requirements, often indulging themselves with the technology first and distorting and even re-engineering the original business to retroactively justify the needs for the procurement.

Requirements elaboration and realisation
Identity and Access Management (IAM) expertise and delivery
Application design and development
Technology design, delivery and service definition
Rationalisation, optimisation of existing technology infrastructures

When Clarity consultants are involved with an IT-enabled change programme or IT project, we can help clients evaluate their most important IT needs upfront, ask challenging questions as to why they are selecting a particular technology, and clearly identify the expected benefits that the technology will bring.

Clarity encourages our clients to adopt the following thought process and ask themselves the following questions when embarking on new technology purchases:

Assess the business need: What is the underlying business imperative driving this purchase? How will the new technology relate to tangible business results?
Design, selection and procurement: Which solution best meets the business need? How many competitive bids can we obtain from various vendors, and what are the benchmarks that we will use to evaluate the bids? Are we willing to pay more for certain features or for the stronger reputation of a particular vendor? What are the “must haves” and “deal breakers” of the prospective business relationship? What level of service do we expect?
Delivery and implementation: What are the risks and pitfalls of installing and implementing this new technology? Which business processes will have to change, and which stakeholders will be affected? How do we plan to train our staff in using the new technology, and how will we communicate to all affected stakeholders about the arrival, rollout and widespread implementation of the new technology?
Benefits relation: Has the new technology delivered on its promises? How do we know? What are the measurable results and “outputs” that we can use to determine whether the technology has been a worthwhile investment?

Staying calm in the face of dazzling technology

Here at Clarity, we don’t get overly excited by amazing new technology – whilst we are passionate about using technology to deliver business results, we don’t get distracted by shiny baubles or expensive packaging. We help our clients see through the hype and make a calm, clear-headed assessment of what they truly need from technology, and find the technology that fits their needs.

Unbiased vendor recommendations

Clarity consultants are “vendor-agnostic” – meaning we do not have a vested interest in recommending any particular vendor’s software or solutions. We are not affiliated with any particular technology solutions provider and we will often recommend free or low-cost Open Source technologies when they are a good fit for the client’s needs.

As part of our values of integrity, honesty and transparency, Clarity consultants will help your organisation achieve a clear view of the technology vendor landscape, and select the right technology solutions to suit your specific challenges – with no bias or other hidden agendas.

We have seen the expensive pitfalls of procuring and implementing IT solutions, and we help our clients to avoid them. If you’re ready for an unbiased assessment of your true technology needs, contact Clarity to help deliver the right solution to achieve the right results.

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