IT Services vs. IT Consulting

For an industry built on specifications, technical terminology can be surprisingly vague. Business IT consulting, IT services, and software consulting, for instance, may appear distinct and self-explanatory at first glance. In truth, it can be difficult to tell where one ends and another begins.

Overview.

According to Wikipedia, information technology consulting (also called IT consulting, computer consultancy, business and technology services, computing consultancy, technology consulting, and IT advisory) as a field of activity focuses on advising organizations on how best to use information technology (IT) in achieving their business objectives.

Technology is a driving force of progress in every sector. Business is the field where IT can contribute to achieving striking goals. But, it may be challenging to build a digital transformation strategy. This is a moment when IT consulting comes to rescue. So, let’s get answers to the questions like what is IT consulting, what is IT consulting company, who are IT consultants and how to build a digital transformation plan for your business.

What is IT Consulting?

Information Technology is a broad sphere that involves computer programming, data, and analysis. Information Technology Consulting is an activity of advising on how to implement IT for a successful business objective achievement. The consulting can be given on any issue that involves IT, including:

• Information security
• Web development
• Computer network architecture
• Computer systems analysis

Information Technology is an integral part of business development, and IT consulting helps to bring innovations closer to the business for its successful transformation. What does IT consulting do? This service helps to evaluate various technology strategies and, then, to match them with the business strategies. This process includes building strategic, operational, architectural, and implementation plans. IT consulting provides services that help businesses to evaluate their IT needs and to form the plan of system implementation.

This includes advice on how to design a system that will be able to uphold competition and meet customer requirements. Also, IT consulting provides an assessment of operating efficiency and capacity of the company’s IT environment.

What is an IT Consulting company?

Usually, when you need any expertise or advice on your business, you hire a person from a consulting company. This is a third-party firm that provides services until the final solution of a particular issue. An IT consulting company offers service of assistance in problem-solving related to Information Technology.

The service provided by an IT consulting company is end-to-end and can range from consulting on one issue to system implementation and management advice. The process can be targeted at creating a new IT system or improving the existing one. The services IT consulting companies provide in general include:

• IT infrastructure planning
• IT security consulting
• IT Risk assessment analysis
• Disaster recovery planning

What’s the job function of an IT Consultant?

An IT consultant’s job includes a diverse range of services. After reaching out to an IT consulting company, their consultant will typically hold a meeting with you to discuss your requirements and the issues you want to see solved and define the scope of the project. Then, if you decide to proceed with the cooperation, they will research your sites, meet with the staff to outline the software needs, and find a solution for the issues posed. Among the tasks of IT consultants is also training of your staff on the new system installment. Therefore, a consultant must possess high technical skills to provide this or another type of technical assistance.

IT consultants usually look for areas where improvement is possible in your business from a technological perspective. They can give a piece of advice on matters like which types of software and systems to choose, etc.

IT Service vs. IT Consulting.

As we defined before, IT Consulting provides ultimate guidance on everything regarding IT, from the IT strategy to the type of technology needed for the business environment. IT services are quite different from IT consulting as they include bespoke software development, management of data recovery, cloud services and security system creation and management.

IT services are usually outsourced from third-party IT companies, which helps save money and time. But, sometimes, it can be challenging to determine which IT services your business needs. In this case, hiring an IT consultant can help you to get an expert opinion on which service to outsource.

Often, IT outsourcing companies provide both. If that’s the case, you can hire a whole team to get services for your business that your staff is unable to carry out due to a lack of knowledge and training in the sphere.

How can IT Consulting hep my business?

There are many reasons why you need to hire an IT consultant. First of all, it can considerably cut your expenses and save you a great deal of time. When you hire an IT consultant from a third-party firm, you pay less for their services than you would pay your employees as, in this case, you don’t need to rent an office.

What is more, it’s a great idea to have an outside person to take a fresh look at your company. It may be a way to bring new ideas to your project and to look at the possible problem from a different angle.

Of course, the main benefit you get from hiring an IT consultant is the knowledge they possess.  Usually, this is a person with a vast base of expertise in the field who has lots of experience in IT implementation for business.  IT consulting services will also help you to focus solely on your business and don’t bother about the tech part.

Digital transformation plan.

A digital transformation plan is a strategic, long-term plan focusing on integrated digital media channels, implementation of new technologies, and smart, digital ways of working. The purpose of a digital transformation plan is to define how to compete more effectively with digital marketing.

If you think your business is ready to reap all the benefits provided by IT, an IT consultant can help analyze your organization’s culture, pain points and your future needs and implement processes to make that a success.

Do note that Digital transformation for business can be a long process and requires effort from employees of all levels. It’s not a magic solution that will push you forward. For a successful implementation of these innovational changes, you need to take the following steps:

1. Clearly define your values & goals. The initial plan for the IT adoption in your business is to ensure that senior management is committed to the plan and have put it on the agenda as one of the main goals. As far as the aims go, they should be clear in order to make the process more manageable, especially when your company encounters some difficulties during it. Also, you should secure investment for your digital technology implementation. It can require some budget spending, but the benefits are more significant.
2. Change. Implement. Iterate. In order to get support from both employees and clients, you should start with a feasible project that offers the potential of significant return and manageable risk. After the start of the digital transformation process, you need to make sure that everyone in charge of it is a highly-skilled professional. What is more, you need to build a digital culture at your company and be sure that employees have adapted to these changes.
3. New ways of working moving forward. After you’ve put effort into basic digital transformation steps, you may need to expand the project; the modernization can open up new areas for improvement which you’ll need to cover too. You’ll also need to boost your employees’ skills, ensure they adapt to a new operating model, and rethink the way they cooperate.

Summary.

In short, what is technology consulting? It’s an important part of your business adaptation to new technologies. An IT consultant is your guide through the world of tech possibilities and how they can make your business succeed on the market. It doesn’t matter whether your business is a large enterprise or just a start-up; the adoption of IT can bring you impressive results and cut your expenses significantly.

The cooperation with an IT consultant can be anything — from advising you on day-to-day IT operations to the creation of an entire digital transformation plan for your business — all depending on your needs. IT development & implementation offers a ton of possibilities for your business; IT consulting simply shows you how to benefit from it.