IT consulting

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IT consulting is more than advising a company about which computers they should buy. It includes everything related to the information technology side of the business. From implementing new software to creating a plan to recover a crashed hard drive, IT consulting is a fast-growing career field.

IT Consulting Overview

Consulting is when a business brings in an outside person with expertise in a specific field to help objectively evaluate where the company is and to design a plan that helps it achieve its goals. In IT consulting, the consultant does exactly that, but with a specific focus on the business’s technology infrastructure.

Often a company brings in an IT consultant to work with the internal IT staff to offer advice and insights from a fresh perspective. They may design systems, suggest hardware and software to invest in, or identify security risks. The consultant may even help the company connect with other specialists who can assist with the project.

Robert Douglas, president of PlanetMagpie Consulting, an IT consulting firm, explains that, ultimately, all IT consulting is based around a business need, and those needs can cover “anything and everything” IT-related. The consultant could work with the client for a short time (which computers should we buy) or long-term (how do we defend against phishing and ransomware attacks).

Strategy

creating a long-term plan that defines how IT will support the business

Architecture

Designing the plans and guidelines to build IT systems

Implementation

overseeing the execution of the IT plan

Systems integration

connecting different parts of the IT system and ensuring they work together

Data analytics

capturing, processing, and analyzing data to help answer business questions

Security

creating a strategy to prevent unauthorized access to hardware, networks, and data, and ensuring systems are compliant

Software management

planning and leading software projects, including scheduling, tracking, and delivery of code

ERP (enterprise resource planning) services

helping choose the software the company uses for daily business activities (like accounting or project management)