Test, assessment and audit all sound like scary words, don’t they?
Maybe they remind you of your exams at school, or perhaps they conjure up flashbacks of your driving test? Whatever it may be, many of us don’t like the idea of being put in the spotlight and having our skills ‘inspected.’
But on the flipside, relationship, foundations and lifelong support evoke feelings of love and security. And that kind of partnership is exactly what we have in mind when conducting an IT audit.
Think of it as a ‘fact-finding’ or ‘getting-to-know-you’ phase in a fledgling romance. Plus, it’s completely tailored to what you hope to get out of it.
In truth, we’re the ‘peace-of-mind providers,’ and we have a comprehensive questionnaire which we work through face-to-face with our customers – without technical jargon – to ensure the advice we provide is accurate and aligns with the wider business objectives.
So, when we talk about our IT audit, we assure you there’s nothing to fear, nor is it a sales pitch – just free, honest and valuable advice based on facts, to help you love your tech a little more!
What forms part of the ‘fact-finding’ process?
In order to be able to offer a customised action plan for your organisation, we need to know about your existing IT infrastructure, and how you use it on a daily basis.
Firstly, we’ll run through a questionnaire which looks at four main areas of technology, infrastructure – back-ups, remote accessibility and workstations – in addition to managed support and services, security and telecommunications (if applicable).
This process gives our techspert an accurate insight into your existing approach to all things IT and forms the basis of a successful relationship with your tech.
Then, we move on to an analysis of your systems…
Conducting the ‘IT magic’
Using a USB stick and some special software, this part of the process allows our techies to really put your IT under the microscope.
From gaining access to your systems, we are able to discover more about the hardware of the machine, speed and performance, at various points throughout the day, as well as installed software and linked devices.
While we save some data on the day, our software will continue to scan your machines in the background, over the course of one week – giving us a true flavour of how they work.
Obtaining a baseline for how the systems are performing means there is never a knee-jerk reaction of ‘its old, let’s upgrade,’ rather we check the demands on the machines and only suggest upgrades where truly needed.
We then have a deeper understanding of how much your tech is, or isn’t, fulfilling your business needs. Which brings us nicely on to our next point…
Learning about your wider business
After an audit has taken place, our MD Lorna Stellakis always delves into the deeper workings of the company, to find out more about its objectives.
As well as having a clear picture of your IT situation, it’s also vital we know a few other things too. For example, what your company does, if there’s been any growth or further expansion is in the pipeline, any upcoming office moves, and an insight into staff retention levels.
A great tech set-up ought to be fully adaptable to your needs and requirements at any given time. It should always be frictionless and work in tandem with your business operations – all this contributes to making your relationship with IT more plain sailing and less plain annoying.
What’s next?
Shortly after a week of our visit, you’ll receive a tailored report of our findings, which your dedicated techie will go through with you in person – in plain English, with no jargon in sight.
This presents all the information gathered from your IT environment questionnaire and system inspection in one, easy-to-read document.
Each technological area is graded – via a colour-coded traffic light system – to make it easy to visualise your results. Red indicates an audit item that requires immediate attention, while yellow signals needing improvement and green is satisfactory.
Bespoke scoring
Using the results, we calculate your overall audit score out of 100. This shows you how great your IT could be – specific to your environment rather than using generic industry standards.
Your score is not based on an industry standard either. Rather, what your business needs!
As well as a report detailing where you are currently, you’ll also receive a comparison assessment of where you could be by actioning slight changes to your present set-up. And, it’s our commitment to driving the best and most profitable results for our clients, which means our goal is getting the score as close to 100 as possible.
While a lot of businesses are under the impression that their IT is giving them everything they need, from our experience, there are always some subtle improvements to be made. We often see clients who are really surprised at how these small tweaks can pay dividends in productivity and efficiency, and this makes us happy!
If you’d like to chat to our team about an IT audit for your company, the kettle is always on at Q2Q HQ! Simply give the team a call on 01524 581690!
