The importance of understanding the problem

 

Let’s face it, business is tough. In this VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world we are competing in, there are more than enough challenges. At IP Dimension, we aim to remove challenges, especially from IT environments. But to remove challenges, you must first understand what the challenges are. And to do so, you need to become an active listener, and a trusted advisor. Yes, put the sales cap in the cupboard. It’s time to listen to your clients.

We recently received a request from a prospective client to propose a solution for consolidating customer information scattered across several end-user devices, removable storage, and archived mailboxes. The client requested a quotation on a server to host the data. She was tired of searching for information and waiting for replies to reach her on her requests. People had to search for the relevant information first, and this took ages. It added to her concern about whether she could actually get the data, and what the reputational damage is in slow responses to her customers.

 

What is the problem?

No, the problem is not the need for a server to centrally store the data. The problem is also not related to the time it takes to get hold of the relevant information. The problem is the concern that the information is not under her control and places her company at risk as this information is not secured, managed, or backed up. That 5 letter acronym that resides somewhere in our to-do list makes its appearance every now and again. Yes, POPIA is a reality, and drives many business decisions especially related to protection of client information.

 

What is the solution?

There are several solutions available. The first step of any of these solutions, is to recognise the urgency behind the problem. Secondly, and almost as important, is scoping a solution that is scalable with business growth. When scoping a solution, it is vital to ascertain the current infrastructure and growth trajectory. What does this mean? In essence, you want to provide a solution to your client that is not bound to physical hardware or technologies. The solution should be able to accommodate the existing needs and address future needs. Furthermore, as far as possible, the solution should not be bound to one area of the business in addressing only one specific need. At IP Dimension, we always attempt to see how our solutions can resolve the identified problem but also support other business functions to foster organisational growth.

 

The next steps

There are multiple solutions to this problem including Azure hosted services, Sharepoint data consolidation, NAS or SAN solutions, and even the frowned upon (cloud averse) on-premise server solutions. The importance of this scenario is to establish which solution will address the problem, add the most value to the client, and provide the latest security and scalability options. But most important of all, always ask the questions: what is the actual need, and are we addressing it?