IT Consultancies - Essay Example

Introduction

Information technology involves knowledge of the development, use, and management of information systems that rely on computers and computer-based applications. Its scope includes the application of software and hardware to facilitate the collection, analysis, and communication of information through computer systems. While largelarge-scale scale enterprises are able to develop their own information technology systems or purchase systems from vendors, small and medium enterprises face challenges of the involved costs. As a result, they rely on consultancies for information technology. This paper reports on information technology consultancies for small and medium enterprises.

IT consultancies

Small and medium enterprises have embraced information technology developments and have established a demand for consultancy services. Some of the enterprises’ consulting services in information technology applications include the following, as are offered by SME consulting services.

• Web design
• Customer relationship management
• Content management system
• E-commerce
• Custom application development
• Design outsource

(SME, 2010)

Justifications of the information technology consultancies

Application of the consultancies by the enterprises, the derived benefits of the applications as well as the fact that the small and medium enterprises have limited financial capacities to purchase or develop their own applications justifies the need for information technology consultancies. Features of each consultancy however identify specialized justification for each consultancy service. Web design is for instance an essential tool to every organization because of the globalized market that is dominated by internet technology. Having an organization’s website is therefore essential to reaching its target stakeholders. The quality of a developed website is also essential to an organization’s target customers as a marketing strategy toward a competitive advantage. Achieving the objective of developing an effective website, therefore, requires expertise and knowledge in “web design,” “flash and multimedia,” developing sites that have “interactive sound,” and “content management system” (Sme, 2010, p. 1).

The derived benefits from the application of the content management system also justify the need for its consultancy services. This is because of its scope that promotes effectiveness and efficacy in data management and management of website pages that is instrumental to forecasting and management of trends for organizational decision-making, and marketing through exploiting the audience’ tastes and attitudes in developing a website’s content. Some of the specialized services from content management systems include “professional content designs,” developed potential to adjust information content, search assistance options, and add inns to an organization’s web pages (Sme, 2010, p. 1). Similarly, technological developments towards reliance on the internet also identify the need for business initiatives over the Internet. Communication towards agreements for sale of property and transfer of ownership is for example easier and faster over the Internet, especially in the globalized market where the geographical gap hampers traditional methods of written communication. Achieving the desired communication efficiencies, however, requires specialized tools that are offered by E-commerce consultancy. The consultancy accords diversified services such as interlinked classes of products and suppliers, diversified currencies and languages for communication, product evaluation, and feedback on the products, services for ordering and paying for commodities, and relevant calculations from transactions. These services’ ability to enhance electronic business transactions, therefore, justifies the need for consultancy toward efficiency and effectiveness (Sme, 2010).

Customer relationship management is another essential element of an enterprise’s management, and the development and application of its model justifies the need for expert assistance through consultancy services. This is because customer relationship management plays significant and diversified roles in attracting customers, meeting their needs, and managing their concerns through information about the customers. While efficient customer relationship management ensures awareness of the customer base, successful marketing, “sales order processing, inventory management, and report and invoice generation,” a non-specialized approach to customer relationship management will not achieve the benefits (Sme, 2010, p. 1). Consequently, small and medium enterprises need to recruit consultancy services in the sensitive role of managing customers through data analysis (Sme, 2010).

Specialized knowledge in developing software tools also identifies the need for consultancy services in developing software for use by enterprises and orientating personnel on the application and management of the developed software. Consultancy services also play a major role in updating applicable software at a relatively affordable cost than the cost of contracting a permanent specialist to undertake the roles. Established consultancy firms also have experience with quality services, due to specialization, then an independent employee who may be generally responsible for an entire information technology department. Lastly, consultancy services are important because of the consultants’ ability to outsource services from qualified parties who will ensure quality services to the enterprises. This is because of the consultancy firms’ knowledge of competent service providers in their industry (SME, 2010).

Conclusion

This report, therefore, identifies a number of Information Technology consultancy services that are applicable to small and medium enterprises. The report also identifies the necessity of the consultancies through their ability to offer services towards efficiencies and competitiveness of the enterprises, services that would be too expensive for the organizations to offer internally or to hire permanent personnel for service delivery. These justify the enterprises’ need for consultancy services.

Each of the group members participated in the research and development of the report with limited and manageable conflicts.