I am proud to be a Cincinnati local. I love our city, I love the sights, and most importantly, the fine dining in the area. Having lived here for most of my life, I can comfortably say I know what makes this city tick. I also have seen my fair share of IT challenges in Cincinnati based businesses and I'd like to share them. Here are a few ways to help your business reach its IT & business goals for 2016 and beyond.

Business Solutions

First, let’s start with defining what business solutions are exactly. A business solution is a combination of ideas used to help a company achieve its objectives. They are solutions that resolve the lack of specific needs or pain points within an organization. Some relevant solutions include technology evaluation, strategic planning and the synthesis of complex business information.

In industries today, business solutions are synonymous with IT solutions. It refers to IT outsourcing, (where you "outsource" your IT development to another company or contractor). And no, outsourcing does not always mean offshoring. You can outsource to a company just down the street, two states away, or even on the other side of the country as well! It doesn't have to be abroad to be outsourced.

IT solutions are beneficial for small and large companies alike, especially those that don't have their own fleshed out IT department, or lack the experience or time to invest in new projects.

Speaking of projects, it brings us into our first common "problem" that pains local business: the upgrading or modifying of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software. 

Upgrading or Modifying Your ERP Software

Many of the IT challenges I've experienced with Cincinnati area companies are when they have a large IT project that they can’t handle in-house. The most common ones, for example, are when the company decides to upgrade their ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems, or when they want to better customize their existing one. Invariably the question arises at some point: 

Would it be wiser to hire more IT people, or is bringing in a team of IT outsourced experts be a better idea?”  

Either of these options are viable. Really, it’s all based on what their corporate business objectives are. Many companies decide to look for outside IT consultants to get those projects implemented to lead them with knowledge of this project so they’re able to maintain and utilize them internally in the future. Others will choose to better staff their IT department and have them practice and train up on their new or modified systems.

If you are looking into upgrading or modifying your ERP system any time soon, be sure to follow these tips:

• Test it, test it again, and then test it some more. Dedicate the right (and the right amount) of personnel to focus solely on testing the program or new feature to make sure all the bugs have been worked out before it goes live.
• Make sure you’re properly staffed. A lot of complaints involving an ERP upgrade is that the IT departments involved are grossly understaffed. If you do not plan on having staff in-house do the work, make sure you have enough outsourced members to do the job (and make sure they’re comfortable with the workload).
• Be careful with customization features. Customizations can sometimes remove the software solution from its update path, rendering it faulty, dated, and sometimes even ineffective. In fact, many migration decisions happen because the existing system has been customized to the point where it cannot be supported, fixed, or improved.
• Make your staff test-drive the new product. Get other regular staffers to test out the software before the go-live date to make sure they understand it and can give feedback on what does (and doesn’t) work.

Developing a Mobile App for Your Business

Many companies are looking to leverage the power of mobile business apps to accomplish corporate objectives including:

• Improving customer service and retention
• Increasing sales effectiveness 
• HR automation functions
• Increase operational efficiency 

The success of a mobile app for your business is just a part in the actual app itself. The ability of an app development firm to connect cloud and legacy systems giving real-time data is critical to your mobile app's success.

The best way to find your perfect match is by doing your research and looking through a company’s portfolio. Are they just a mobile app development company, or do they understand and posses the expertise of complex cloud computing and premise-based systems?

Other Business IT Resources in Cincinnati

• Cincinnati Tech Summit: An annual event held in the Fall where you can learn about the latest IT and technology strategies, mingle with tech leaders, and experiment with new technology.
• Business Technology Summit: Learn how to leverage technology for your business with this annual summit, held annually each Summer.
• Technology First: Based in Dayton, Ohio. Technology First is an IT community where professionals can learn new skills, share knowledge, seek new opportunities, and much more. Enjoy regular meet ups where members educate one another on topics of interest.

About the Author

has over 20 years of experience in multiple technology stacks and repeatedly ranks in the top 5% of sales performers each year. She is dedicated to deliver on promises, ensure consistency, and achieve results. When she isn’t at work, she enjoys rooting for the Cincinnati Reds and attending local concerts on both sides of the river. Connect with Theresa on LinkedIn today. Would you prefer a free lunch? Then request for a free lunch one-on-one with Theresa where she can better understand your business' challenges.