INFORMATION STRATEGY
Information is one of the most important assets of a company besides its people. We often think of strategy in terms of business, markets, operations, and technologies. We seldom, however, focus on information itself as a strategy. The truth is, however, that an unaligned information approach can lead to significant costs, inefficiencies, and an uncompetitive situation overall. Just as we align other strategies to the business plan, it is paramount that we also align our information strategy. This incorporates the three key domains of information: data, content and business intelligence.
The information strategy supports the overall business strategy. From an enterprise standpoint it is important to ask where we are as an organization.
Where are we in various maturity lifecycles such as marketing, customer care, supply chain, sales, and human resources? Are we acquiring, being acquired, or standing strong? Are we technology-intensive? If we are information-intensive, then in what areas? Are our people staying or going? Is our business new or old? Are we primed for change?
All of these questions, in conjunction with the business strategy, help us establish what the information strategy needs to demonstrate in order to support the organization moving forward.
The overall information strategy is an end point we may never get to; however, we move in its direction at a sustainable pace. The strategy needs to demonstrate immediate support to the business. It needs to be in-step with the business strategy. Too slow or too fast and it will have little value in assisting the organization be where it needs to be.
How We Can Help:
Stratium Consulting Group can help organizations create an information strategy that is relevant, timely, and effective. Our approach takes into account your existing business strategy as well as collaboration with your business and technology constituents. The strategy that we jointly create will not only be a target that we strive toward but will also include short-term targets that are quickly achievable and valuable to the overall organization.
Our strategy framework addresses information strategy holistically, including data, content, and business intelligence. Our approach starts with identifying and working with an information strategy champion within your organization. As a combined team, we will perform an analysis of your existing business strategy, one-on-one discussions with key stakeholders, and collaborative sessions with larger groups.
PRODUCT SELECTION
Stratium Consulting Group can provide assistance in technology and product selection based on your specific needs. Our selection framework takes into account not only existing requirements but also expectations, strategy, and roadmaps moving forward. As organizations grow, so too can technology and product needs over time, an important factor to consider when making investment decisions.
Too often organizations make technology and product decisions based on immediate functional needs, installation difficulty, a vendor demo, or price alone. This can be short-sighted and lead to both disappointment and ineffectiveness. In fact, without an appropriate approach to technology and product selection, costs to support and extend your investment may actually lead to higher costs overall. Just like buying a car or home, it is prudent to practice due diligence with a formal, unbiased, and systematic approach.
Stratium's selection framework focuses on a multi-dimensional view of investments that addresses:
Corporate sustainability
Pricing and licensing
Support
Roadmap
Technology and architecture
Scalability, and
Functionality and ease of use.
Our focus is on information management and the technologies and products that support this area, such as data, content, business intelligence, portal, search, and collaboration.
How We Can Help:
Stratium Consulting Group can assist you in making technology and product decisions that are aligned to your business and information strategy. In short, making the most of your investment for both short and long-term use.
We provide a formal, unbiased, and systematic approach to technology and product selection. Our approach works best when we work shoulder to shoulder with you in understanding business and technology needs. We can manage or assist with the entire selection process including scoring benchmarks, vendor participation, demonstrations, assessments, and recommendations.