Technology deployments require proper planning to be successful

Every organization that decided to implement one of the examples of the latest technology like cloud computing or an internet-based phone system, had to deal with the actual process of deploying it. However, as with any project there are countless ways that things can go wrong.

In a recent version of his weekly column for the Calgary Herald, Jonathan Nituch, a long time IT executive and vice president of Fortress Technology Planners, discussed the many ways that he has seen technology projects fail for small and midsized businesses. One of the biggest obstacles is that no two businesses are the same.

"There is no cookie cutter business IT strategy, and best practices will vary widely depending on multiple, fast-changing factors," Nituch wrote. "Your size, industry, market, budget, technological choices, new technologies, and much more will all affect what your IT best practices should be."

Despite this hurdle, it is not all bad news, and there are steps that can be taken to get past these challenges and have a successful deployment.

The first thing suggested is that organizations need to truly understand and embrace the risk factors that are involved. Every deployment is high-risk, but many SMBs simply invest without fully knowing what is at stake and hope than an initial investment will be enough to cover it. This also leads to businesses that only invest in the technology and not the project deployment phase.

Others that do not fully understand the risk may be too afraid to pull the trigger. A misguided fear is enough to make any small business decision-maker close up the purse strings.

Regardless of the type of IT project being deployed, a proper plan and management style is crucial to making sure it is handled with the care it deserves.

"All too often, I've seen solid business IT strategies fail because of poor project management," Nituch wrote. "Your IT strategy is the road map to where you want to go, but you have to keep the car on the road with consistent, competent project management of your IT initiatives."

He concludes with sound advice. For small and midsized businesses to be successful, the smartest move could be to partner with an experienced IT solution provider that can help your business make it through these tough decisions with ease. If your company lacks quality internal talent, this can be the only option, and it's not a bad one.