How to work out how much you know about IT - and how much you can save using it.
K + T + F + (P x C) + L
If that equation makes you think of school (and frightens the life out of you!) don’t worry – BT is here to help you make sense of it, and of your IT.
Each letter means the following…
K - Knowledge
T - Technology
F - Flexible approach to working
P - Planning
C - Confidence
L - Location of business
What you need to do
Score the following factors on a scale 1 – 5, 1 being the lowest:
K - How good is your knowledge of your current ICT solution, its capabilities and how to utilise them?
T - Do you have all the technology and communications tools available to you that you need?
F - Are you able to work flexibly, on the move, at home, whilst away from the office?
P - Did you build a business case and plan before implementing your current ICT solution so that you can accommodate growth and measure its ROI?
C - Are you confident that your technology solution is safe, secure and supported if you have a problem?
For the following factor there is a separate scoring format:
L - Location of business
Urban: 5
Suburban: 4
Semi rural: 3
Rural: 2
Add up your score… there is a maximum score of 45 and minimum of 6
6 – 16 – You are probably struggling with your current ICT arrangements and so it is advisable to review them and consider implementing a converged solution which would mean you have one technology to support all your applications.
17 – 26 – Clearly some knowledge of technology but need to get a better understanding of what is the right solution for your business through proper pre-planning and support post implementation to ensure you realise the benefits.
27 – 36 – Good knowledge and generally satisfied with the running and support of your systems. It may be though that you are still struggling to realise true ROI and benefits such as flexible working which all SMEs should be looking to capitalise on for efficiency and productivity.
37 – 45 – An IT savvy organisation, you probably took time to plan things and have resisted the temptation to bolt on ‘extras’ which means your systems have remained manageable and flexible enough to accommodate the demands of your business.
*The lower your location score the more seriously you might want to consider flexible working solutions, particularly where it has made you borderline between two types.
Methodology note:
The focus of this equation is on the positive aspects of technology convergence. Hence there are no 'negative' factors. The result of this is an equation that has nothing below the line, e.g. the 'c' in the following: (a + b) / c.
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