3 Steps to Prime Your Business for IT Optimisation

3 steps to prime your business for IT optimisation 

IT spending increases year-on-year, but for many businesses, this doesn’t translate into the results they had hoped and planned for. Gartner’s CIO Report states that 70% of digital leaders have not significantly advanced towards digital transformation goals. 

While several factors can contribute to this, IT underutilisation is one common and well-recognised contributor that can dramatically impact the bottom line.

In this article, we share three steps organisations can take to reduce underutilisation and start on the path to optimisation. 

Benefits of IT optimisation

When systems and platforms are optimised, businesses can expect to see:

• Increased ROI

• Enhanced productivity

• Improved efficiency

• Greater innovation and agility

• Positive impacts on staff morale

Optimisation can happen at an enterprise level, business unit level, or for a single platform or system. 

3 practical steps to prepare for IT optimisation

1. Conduct a technology audit

Starting with a thorough audit of your entire IT ecosystem, a single platform or system provides the foundation for targeted optimisation strategies.

Activities to undertake:

• Map chosen existing systems and platforms

• Identify usage patterns and performance metrics

• Evaluate alignment with business objectives at a unit and organisational level

• Pinpoint areas of low utilisation or redundancy

• Engage users to understand the challenges and unmet needs.

2. Align technology and business goals

Knowing how your technology aligns with your strategic business goals helps digital leaders create a value story, ensuring sufficient budget and resources are allocated. 

Activities to undertake:

• Identify the strategic goals your technology supports at a unit and organisational level

• Set clear objectives and define success metrics

• Ensure platforms are properly integrated to avoid data silos and double-ups

• Prioritise scalability by selecting solutions that can grow and change with business needs while avoiding overly complex and unnecessary features.

3. Invest in skills development

Users are more likely to utilise technology more effectively if they feel confident in their abilities. 

Activities to undertake:

• Provide regular, targeted training in a range of formats

• Give access to user-friendly resources 

• Enable external expertise through partnerships or embedded teams

• Provide dedicated support via a helpdesk or support team to address issues promptly.

Vervio helped an Aviation company optimise its Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) and move from outdated designs, and limited functionality and capability to a dynamic and reliable website that supports its business operations and marketing efficacy.

After the AEM implementation, the platform had received minimal maintenance and hadn’t integrated new Adobe-recommended features and enhancements. The business was stuck with technical debt, digital stagnation and several issues that were negatively impacting processes and client communications.

Discovery 

Vervio initiated a comprehensive discovery process to assess and address the accumulated issues thoroughly. 

Detailed Workshops

Through technical workshops and reviews, codebase and pipeline inspections and operational support and evaluations, Vervio identified key initiatives that were undertaken.

AEM Component Enhancements

Improved content authoring capabilities to enhance flexibility and user engagement.

DevOps and Pipeline Remediation

Stabilised the content deployment process to ensure reliability and efficiency.

Knowledge Base and Training for Content Authors

Established a robust support system for AEM users to build confidence and competence.

The team now has enhanced functionality, increased capabilities, and improved confidence in content publishing. Technical debt has been reduced, and the platform is positioned for long-term sustainability.

Make optimisation part of your technology business case

Optimisation is becoming fundamental to the business case as technology investments increase. Knowing where the technology sits within your ecosystem, how it supports strategic goals, and providing training and change management will enable your organisation to leverage the full power of its digital capabilities and advance towards its digital transformation goals.

Why Vervio?

Vervio is an Australian-owned digital engineering agency that delivers sustainable technology solutions to some of Australia's most iconic brands through technical leadership and engineering excellence. With a reputation for speed, precision, and accountability, they partner with customers for the long haul, ensuring digital success now and into the future. 

If you’re putting up with underperformance from your platforms, get in touch with us today. We use our specialised digital engineering skills to help you optimise your systems for maximum benefit.