What does an IT consultant do?
If you asked most business owners to tell you a little something about tech consulting, most of them would say that it involves fixing computers or selling them. While this is undoubtedly part of the job description of an IT consultant, there is a lot more that these individuals do for a business which goes much further than just fixing a few computers.
Almost every large firm will have a large number of different consulting groups working for them in various verticals like healthcare, telecom, finances, etc. IT has only recently started being considered just as important as these other verticals from a consulting point of view. The internet is quickly becoming the tool of choice for most industries and this is the main reason why IT consultants have also become a vital part of most organizations. These professionals are basically burdened with the task of telling companies which tools and technology are best suited for them and which ones will help them run a successful business. Apart from this, most IT companies also deploy, manage, implement, estimate & administer IT systems for businesses. This process is often referred to as outsourcing. ”
Some of the most important tasks allotted to an IT consultant include the below:
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Meeting up with business owners to determine what they want from IT.
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Making up a list of resources required to achieve those objectives along with proper timescales.
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Regularly travelling to the business site of various customers.
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Defining various requirements of customers with regard to software, network and hardware requirements.
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Designing as well as installing & monitoring any new systems.
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Organizing training for various employees in an organization to ensure everyone knows how the system works.
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Clarifying system specifications for clients.
Earlier, there were two essential roles as far as IT was concerned, there was the system analyst and there was the computer technician. But nowadays, an IT consultant is expected to perform both these roles singlehandedly. This doesn't only mean that they are expected to perform both administrative roles but also means that they need to do all the ground work themselves and interact with the clients on their own.