By now, almost every midsize business leader understands the value of new cloud technology, yet identifying the right solutions and the right time to adopt them can be extremely challenging. Not only are there an overwhelming number of options from which to choose, but any delay or misstep in implementing and leveraging new technology will have an amplified effect on the business’ ability to maintain a competitive footing. When new technology doesn’t deliver the hoped-for results due to a lack of preparation, poor user adoption, or unexpected complications, it can have a significant impact on your bottom line.

As a result, many business leaders are understandably reluctant to follow a strategy without a great deal of confidence in the outcome. Then again, in the age of great disruption, there is no such thing as a sure bet. So how do you bridge the gap between these two conflicting forces?

Building the Case for a New Technology Solution

To succeed in a rapidly changing business environment, the business and IT need to come together to jointly assemble a clear, documented proposal and ROI justification. By scoring the elements that impact the business’ ability to achieve rapid results, you’re better able to build confidence in your decision and scale your approach in a manageable, cost-effective manner.

It’s also important to note that while building a business cases is essential in aligning business objectives to the right technology, new solutions and changing competitive landscape may change the course of your decisions. Once you’ve built your business case, it’s important to continuously discover, define, and integrate new sources of growth as new threats and opportunities arise.

Justifying the Need for a New Technology Solution – Three Key Steps

1. Business Case Justification
   Like all IT initiatives (really, any initiative), it’s important to always start building your case by identifying the real business need first. After speaking with the business and truly understanding their pain points, you can better communicate how the capabilities within a new technology solution can map to greater business success.
2. Value and Complexity
   Just because a solution can solve a business challenge doesn’t mean the right solution for your business, or the right time to invest in it. To determine the real value of any given solution, it’s important to look at the following criteria and score each element based on the current maturity of your environment: Business Value, Clarity of Requirements, Relative Effort.
3. Recommended Products
   By identifying which technology solutions will have the greatest impact with the least amount of effort and risk, you can safely propose a recommended plan with the high impact initiatives getting delivered first.

In today’s fast-paced world, there is a seemingly infinite number of products and changing variables that impact your decisions, which is why it’s important that you have a unified environment of solutions and a unified partner to help you discover, identify, and implement the right solutions for your specific needs. If you’re looking for a strategic partner who can aid in navigating these technical shifts, contact us to learn more about our approach.