Information Technology (IT) is known as the fastest-changing industry in the world today. To illustrate this, let’s compare it to the building industry. While the building industry still relies on systems and processes developed 300 years ago, IT technology from just 10 years ago is already considered outdated. The speed of change in IT is so rapid that only corporate network technology has remained relatively stable in the past decade, primarily due to concerns about the cost of reform. This poses a challenge for modern managers to keep up with the changes. To help assess the up-to-dateness of your IT department, we have identified three key indicators.
Indicator 1: Social Media Function
Having a Social Media Department
An essential indicator of an up-to-date Iformation Technology department is the presence of a social media department, either within your IT department or as part of your marketing department. If you don’t have one, it’s time for a self-check. A social media office is crucial today, especially for service industries and organizations in the humanities, such as churches and aid organizations. Meeting clients where they are is a must, and one place where you can connect with many people is on social media. Forward-thinking organizations often have dedicated social media departments with professionals holding titles like “Facebooker,” “Googler,” “Oogler,” “Twittster,” and similar designations.
Indicator 2: Mobile Readiness
Recognizing the Importance of Mobile
The second indicator of Information Technology department readiness is mobile readiness. If your business operates in Africa, particularly Kenya, it’s essential to pay attention to the statistics. Africa has more mobile phones than email and bank accounts combined. In Kenya, mobile money transactions exceed those handled by the entire banking sector by over ten times. This emphasizes the need to reach and be reached by clients through mobile phones and facilitate mobile money transfers for seamless payments. To achieve mobile readiness, you need the following staff and infrastructure: an m-IT officer to oversee mobile phone business matters, a bulk SMS solution for direct client communication, a mobile money account for convenient payments, and systems that can receive and utilize messages from mobile phones within your standard IT platform.
Indicator 3: Streamlined Systems
Enhancing Efficiency
The third indicator is the efficiency of your systems. Do your staff members need to report to the office and occupy specific desks to perform their work? If the answer is yes, particularly for officers, your Informatin Technology department is at risk of becoming obsolete. The requirement for staff to be tied to specific locations within the office indicates a reliance on paperwork and processes that should be reduced. Ideally, staff members should be able to sit at any available desk and carry out their duties without hindrance.
