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 IT SERVICES

Common Issues ... click on link for possible solutions.

1. Are you wasting 20-40% of your IT budget on failed or incomplete projects (which is the industry average)?
2. Are you finding committees and teams less than effective?
3. Pressure to outsource but worried about quality and logistics?
4. Are you having trouble keeping IT projects and business goals in alignment?
5. Is your IT overhead too high?
6. Is your IT operation a "cost", not an investment?
7. Is your Management demanding you do more and more with fewer resources?
8. Are you concerned about the security of your data?
9. Do you need resources "on demand" but only want to pay for what you use?
10. Seeing too many vendors and products all claiming to be the "best?"
11. When did you last test your business continuity/disaster recovery plan? How did it go?

Are you wasting 20-40% of your IT budget on failed or incomplete projects (which is the industry average)?

Negative impact ... Solution benefits ... Dollars that fall into the "black hole" never emerge to provide competitive advantage to your organization. Proper alignment between business strategy and IT tactics can mean getting almost 50% more done with the same investment. Higher morale for people associated with successful projects and more efficiency and performance per dollar. How We Can Help ... The Information Technology Alignment Process (ITAP) is the best way to measure and achieve alignment between IT and the organization it serves. ITAP uses procedures and statistical techniques to show graphically the condition of alignment within an organization, why it's the way it is and the implications of it being that way. ITAP is designed to be executed quickly and repeatedly, so that alignment can be achieved and maintained.

Are you finding committees and teams less than effective?

Negative impact ... Solution benefits ... Time is money. Time spent on ineffective meetings is time not available for more productive tasks. Committees and Teams must learn to function across functional, physical, political and geographic boundaries in order to maximize the yield on any investment. How We Can Help ... Alternate Futures' online collaboration, project & knowledge capture application, 24x7WorldWide, will allow geographically dispersed teams and committees to work effectively, stay on the same page and capture the learning & experience for re-use on future projects.

Pressure to outsource but worried about quality and logistics?

Negative impact ... Solution benefits ... It's not as easy as it sounds to ship your IT projects to the other side of the world. Outsourcing shouldn't be a euphemism for layoffs. True outsourcing means paying for what you need and not any more. Domestic outsourcing (what we call "NearSourcing") gives you the benefits without the 12 hour time difference. More effective collaboration means lower TRUE COSTS and more overall success of your projects. How We Can Help ... NearSourcing is a close, long-term partnership between us and our clients, providing a context in which clients can benefit from outsourcing without sacrificing quality or control. In a NearSourcing partnership, Alternate Futures management and staff operate more like logical extensions of your organization than as exterior service providers (as "complete" or "selective" outsourcers do). Contact us to see how our NearSourcing can help provide the critical balance between the pressures to increase service and reduce costs in today's unpredictable and competitive marketplace.

Are you having trouble keeping IT projects and business goals in alignment?

Negative impact ... Solution benefits ... Lack of alignment here causes waste of time, money, energy and reputation. It confuses customers, opens doors for competitors and drains energy from the organization. Proper alignment between business strategy and IT tactics can mean getting almost 50% more done with the same investment. Higher morale for people associated with successful projects and more efficiency and performance per dollar. How We Can Help ... Alternate Futures' Information Technology Alignment Process™ (ITAP) is the best way to measure and achieve alignment between IT and the organization it serves. ITAP uses straightforward facilitated procedures and statistical techniques to show graphically the condition of alignment within an organization, why it's the way it is and the implications of it being that way. ITAP is designed to be executed quickly and repeatedly, so that alignment can be achieved and maintained.

Is your IT overhead too high?

Negative impact ... Solution benefits ... Obviously, high costs tax the organization's ability to invest in more productive projects. Outsourcing shouldn't be a euphemism for layoffs. True outsourcing means paying for what you need and not any more. Domestic outsourcing (what we call "NearSourcing") gives you the benefits without the 12 hour time difference. More effective collaboration means lower TRUE COSTS and more overall success of your projects. How We Can Help ... NearSourcing is a close, long-term partnership between us and our clients, providing a context in which clients can benefit from outsourcing without sacrificing quality or control. In a NearSourcing partnership, Alternate Futures management and staff operate more like logical extensions of your organization than as exterior service providers (as "complete" or "selective" outsourcers do). Contact us to see how our NearSourcing can help provide the critical balance between the pressures to increase service and reduce costs in today's unpredictable and competitive marketplace.

Is your IT operation a "cost", not an investment?

Negative impact ... Solution benefits ... Not getting significant leverage from your IT investments means higher costs, lost opportunities and diminished presence in the marketplace. All IT projects should carry their own weight. Understanding which truly add value and then properly managing them means lower costs and higher results. How We Can Help ... All strategy is about survival and prosperity. The needs of any organization are the needs of those responsible for survival and prosperity. IT meets their needs when it delivers and operates processes and systems that implement a strategy that everyone understands and supports. This understanding and support is what is meant by "alignment." Without understanding and support, IT systems and operations work against strategy. Our alignment processes help increase the ROI on all your projects.

Is your Management demanding you do more and more with fewer resources?

Negative impact ... Solution benefits ... The economy is picking back up, but it's unlikely you'll get to add back all the IT headcount you lost. Important projects get delayed because of lack of internal resources. In a perfect world you only want to pay for what you need with zero inventory. That applies to human and technical resources as much as production inventory. Proper alignment and effective project management techniques means cutting fat, not muscle. How We Can Help ... NearSourcing is a close, long-term partnership between us and our clients, providing a context in which clients can benefit from outsourcing without sacrificing quality or control. In a NearSourcing partnership, Alternate Futures management and staff operate more like logical extensions of your organization than as exterior service providers (as "complete" or "selective" outsourcers do). Contact us to see how our NearSourcing can help provide the critical balance between the pressures to increase service and reduce costs in today's unpredictable and competitive marketplace.

Are you concerned about the security of your data?

Negative impact ... Solution benefits ... A significant intrusion or disaster could endanger your whole organization, open you to stockholder and governmental action, as well as compromise your position with customers. Customers and government expect and demand security here. Effective security and audited tests of your recovery from any intrusions ensures continued confidence in your operation. How We Can Help ... Alternate Futures offers both Business Continutity and Perimeter Security services to backstop your internal resources to address this critical need.

Do you need resources "on demand" but only want to pay for what you use?

Negative impact ... Solution benefits ... Having excess capacity and underutilized resources are luxuries no longer available in most companies. Outsourcing shouldn't be a euphemism for layoffs. True outsourcing means paying for what you need and not any more. Domestic outsourcing (what we call "NearSourcing") gives you the benefits without the 12 hour time difference. More effective collaboration means lower TRUE COSTS and more overall success of your projects. How We Can Help ... NearSourcing is a close, long-term partnership between us and our clients, providing a context in which clients can benefit from outsourcing without sacrificing quality or control. In a NearSourcing partnership, Alternate Futures management and staff operate more like logical extensions of your organization than as exterior service providers (as "complete" or "selective" outsourcers do). Contact us to see how our NearSourcing can help provide the critical balance between the pressures to increase service and reduce costs in today's unpredictable and competitive marketplace.

Seeing too many vendors and products all claiming to be the "best?"

Negative impact ... Solution benefits ... Every salesman says the same thing? How can EVERYONE be "cutting edge"? The wrong choice will consume money and set your goals back. Proper analysis of your needs and evaluation of the market's offerings means maximum yield on your investments. How We Can Help ... Alternate Futures can leverage its experience in software sales and implementation to assist you in making the right decision on software investments.

When did you last test your business continuity/disaster recovery plan? How did it go?

Negative impact ... Solution benefits ... After 9/11 many companies rushed to implement disaster recovery plans. Unfortunately many go untested and un-updated. Would you stake your career on your company's plan? Customers and government expect and demand security here. Effective security and audited tests of your recovery from any intrusions ensures continued confidence in your operation. How We Can Help ... Alternate Futures offers Independent Business Continuity Testing (IBCT). Essentially an audit of your disaster recovery and business continuity plans. IBCT assures customers, stockholders, and government & regulatory agencies that you are prepared to do buisness regardless of external events.