IT management no longer focuses only on information technology and information systems. It has taken on a larger all-encompassing role, responsible for efficient operations, effective communication, streamlined governance, and continual innovation. As technology has become intrinsic to successful business strategy, effective IT management has become a prerequisite for operating and maintaining a successful business.
In this blog post, we take a closer look at IT management, its growing importance, and the best practices that can help small and medium businesses efficiently manage their information technology infrastructure and operations to get the most out of technology.
What Is Information Technology (IT) Management
IT Management is defined as the monitoring, control, and use of a company’s information technology resources including the hardware, software, and human resources to achieve a business goal. IT management has rapidly grown into a critical function as an ever-growing number of companies are putting information technology at the center of their business strategies.
But what makes Information Technology a critical business function? Let’s take a look…
What Is The Importance Of IT Management?
IT is the backbone of all business activities. High-speed connectivity, data processing, automation, and artificial intelligence have opened new, previously unimaginable, doors to quality of life, efficiency, and economies of scale making businesses more efficient and lucrative. Technology is so intertwined in every aspect of our work that it is virtually impossible to separate technology from business.
This comprehensive integration of technology with business has, on one hand, underpinned the rapid success of modern businesses but on the other hand, it also makes businesses more vulnerable. From network failures to cyberattacks, there is a wide range of risks that businesses face on a daily basis.
In addition, there’s also the allure of emerging technologies such as blockchain and machine learning that have the potential to revolutionize your business. Early adoption of such technologies brings with it their own set of challenges including increased security threats, such as in the case of IoT, accrual of technical debt, and market risks.
This is why IT management plays such a vital role in modern business. It is the responsibility of the IT function to ensure that any technology adopted is aligned with the business goals, is safe, and viable in the long run. Digital transformation requires digital capabilities, functional agility, and digital leadership that only your IT function is equipped with.
To sum up, more businesses are being designed around technology than the other way round. This growing reliance on technology puts a tremendous demand on IT assets and proper IT management ensures that those demands are met in a timely, cost-effective, and secure manner.
Like any other business function, Information Technology also needs strong leadership to successfully carry out its duties. In the following section, we list the role and responsibilities of an IT manager.
What Is The Role Of An IT Manager?
The IT function is usually headed by a Chief Information Officer (CIO). But smaller companies may have an IT department instead and the leadership role is usually called IT Manager. In any case, the responsibilities that such a position entail will be similar. We’ve discussed some of the challenges faced by a CIO at length in an earlier blog.
The key responsibilities of an IT Manager are as follows:
Aligning technology with business goals
Building and maintaining the IT infrastructure
Keeping technology up-to-date with current changes
Strategizing to increase efficiency and profitability
Managing vendors relationships
As the one responsible for organization-wide information technology systems, an IT manager will also have duties involving budgeting, project management, training, skills development, and most importantly digital leadership and mentoring. The fast-paced technology landscape requires IT managers to be not only skilled and capable but also highly agile. Accountability, crisis management, and an ability to prioritize are essential traits of competent IT Managers.
How can IT managers effectively execute their responsibilities? Let’s take a look…
How To Effectively Manage IT Operations?
Here are 6 IT management best practices to help you ensure that your information technologies assets perform at their peak, are highly available, are secure, and actively contribute to the achievement of the overall business goal:
1. Align IT With Business Goals
Aligning IT with business goals or objectives is the process of utilizing information technology to achieve business goals such as improved financial performance or faster time to market. This process integrates IT with the business strategy and goals of the organization.
Aligning IT with business goals is perhaps the most daunting aspect of IT management for any business leader because it requires the IT leadership to change their approach. Instead of only focusing on developing technical capabilities, they will need to focus on utilizing technical capabilities to quantifiably achieve business goals.
IT managers also need to be able to communicate with business leaders in a language that they can understand. Therefore, IT managers need to be able to:
Describe how IT investments create business value
Enable the achievement of business goals using technology
The IT manager, therefore, needs to evolve from being an ace technician to being a digital leader who organizes, directs, and coaches a team of technicians to create business value. So that, instead of merely being an enabler for other business functions, IT can become a driving force for the entire organization.
2. Invest In Training And Development
The technology landscape is constantly changing and IT leaders need to keep up-to-date with the latest trends in information technology so that they can steer the company’s use of technology in the right direction. But, as your IT support technicians transition from being technicians to IT managers, they will also need to master new skills in management and leadership.
IT managers will need to develop an in-depth knowledge of the organization’s core business, its needs, and how technology can be used to fulfill those needs. They also need to be able to speak in the business’s language so that they can effectively communicate with other stakeholders. This requires concerted and continual management training focusing on budgeting, reporting, finance, strategy, leadership, etc.
New managers can feel overwhelmed since they may not feel equipped to take on many of their new responsibilities. Therefore, you need to give priority to sharpening their management skills to supplement their technical skills.
3. Develop Digital Leadership
Digital leadership is the deliberate and planned use of a company's digital assets to achieve digital transformation. Leadership and the use of company assets to achieve business goals are not new. But digital leadership involves not only leading your organization in a new strategic direction but also changing the way you lead.
A digital leader needs the following characteristics:
Digital Capabilities- For IT managers who have risen up the ranks, the digital capabilities will come naturally.
Agility- Agility in digital leadership involves reimagining business models, early adoption of new technologies, and constantly challenging the status quo.
Risk-taking- The adoption of new technologies and strategies come with their fair share of risks and digital leaders need to be able to take calculated risks without the fear of failure.
Inclusivity- Digital leaders are more like coaches than managers and because of this attribute, they are able to effectively lead digital teams.
Digital transformation requires the participation of all stakeholders. And it requires deft digital leadership to engage all the stakeholders and drive digital transformation.
4. Build Strong Relationship With Vendors
It is impossible for companies to have expertise in all technical skills needed for running their IT operations. Businesses that try to accomplish a-z of IT in-house end up having much higher research, development, and deployment time, which increases their costs and cuts into their profits.
The right vendors are definitely your friends and it is your responsibility as the IT manager to maintain good relationships with them. Strong relationships with vendors usually ensure lower lead time for equipment and service delivery. Vendors will appreciate it if you treat them as partners rather than one-time problem solvers. They will often go out of their way to give you good deals and grant you favors, which comes in real handy when you are in a pinch.
Even if you have a large internal IT team, it’s good to maintain cordial relationships with IT service providers as they can function as supplementary partners for large projects or at times of rapid growth.
5. Develop Project Management Skills
IT usually delivers organizational benefits through new projects. IT projects can be as small as setting up a conference room or as large and complex as digital transformation. Like any other project, IT projects also face the possibility of failure. And with failure comes the burden of financial loss. The larger or more critical the project, the greater is the financial risk.
So, one of the key attributes of successful IT management is the ability to manage projects. IT managers should be able to consistently deliver projects on time, within budget, and with the desired quality. An IT team that delivers projects on time and within budget is perhaps the biggest asset any company can have. A timely completed project can help you reach the market before your competitors, and can be the difference between grand success and complete failure.
6. Focus On People Not Technology
IT technicians are expected to know all the answers so that they can ably provide technical support. But IT managers shouldn’t be expected to know all the answers. It isn’t their job to solve problems, rather their job is to deliver results, provide direction, and manage stakeholders.
IT managers must function as facilitators, eliciting answers from their team, leveraging their knowledge to drive results. As discussed above, inclusivity is a trait necessary for digital leadership. Inclusivity and focus on people work so well because it makes your team feel valued.
You should learn to be a coach and let the team play it out on the field. Being a successful IT manager involves developing your team to share the burden. Learn to lean on your team members to get the desired results. You should only be responsible for the final decision. When you ask your team for their input and delegate responsibility, they feel a greater sense of belonging and exhibit better teamwork.
Wrapping it all up…
Conclusion
For effective IT management you need a good IT manager, who can put the following into practice:
Align IT with the business goals of the organization,
Invest in training and development,
Develop digital leadership skills,
Build strong relationships with vendors,
Develop project management skills, and
Focus on leveraging the knowledge of your team
Most IT managers come up through the ranks having started as a member of a technical team. Technically they may be exceptionally gifted but when they transition to management roles, they often find it very difficult. In order to successfully manage your information technology infrastructure and operations, you need to help your IT managers develop the above skills.
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