IT Consulting for Mid-Sized Businesses: What an External IT Strategist Really Delivers

IT consulting in mid-sized businesses: What an external IT strategist really does

Short: IT consultancy has an image problem.

IT consultancy has an image problem. Many leaders combine this. Expensive consultants, thick presentations, non-binding recommendations and at the end someone else makes the rollout.

There is – but it is not what good IT advice is.

This article explains what external IT strategy advice really does for mid-sized firms when it is worth it and what a good consultant can recognize.

What IT consulting is – and what is not

IT advice is not synonym for expensive presentations without result.

When planning IT Consulting for Mid-Sized Firms: What an External IT Strategist…, see Cost Calculator: Software Development and Digitalisation for SMEs for scope and delivery.

What good IT advice does:

• Separate review of existing IT landscape with strengths, weaknesses, risks.
• Development of an IT strategy that fits the corporate strategy.
• Decision bases for make-or-buy, system selection, investment priorities.
• Accompanying complex projects as a neutral entity between client and service provider.
• Knowledge transfer that empowers internal teams instead of dependent.

What good IT advice is not:

• Non-binding recommendations without rollout ownership.
• Consultant-Sliding: Providers recommend the solution they distribute themselves.
• Unnecessary complexity that justifies other consultants.

When does external IT consulting make sense?

• Strategic options: We invest in on-premise infrastructure or migrate to the cloud? Are we building our own software or buying a standard solution? These decisions have long-term effects and benefit from separate external views.

Technology assessment and system selection: Which ERP fits our processes? What BI tool is suitable for our data situation? Separate advice is clear advantage over manufacturer recommendations.

IT-Notlagen: failed IT project, critical system failures, security incidents – external expertise helps to quickly find the right course.

There are also our software maintenance for acute software emergency situations.

**Company without CTO or strong IT leaders benefit from an external "fractional CTO" – someone who thinks strategically to be without a full-time job.

Before major projects: Before an ERP change, a cloud migration or greater software development is commissioned: External due diligence of tendering, offers and risks.

What contains an IT strategy

A solid IT strategy for a midsize company addresses:

actual review:

• inventory of IT landscape: systems, versions, integrations, costs.
• Risk assessment: What is critical, what is outdated, what is badly integrated?- Team and competence: Who can what, where are gaps?

** Target definition:**

• What IT skills does the company need in 3-5 years?
• What strategic projects (expansion, new business areas, automation) do what IT needs?

Roadmap:

• Specific measures with prioritization, schedule and budget allocation.
• Dependencies between projects
• Quick Wins (fastly realizable, high benefit) vs. strategic initiatives.

Governance:

• Who meets what IT decisions? How are IT projects prioritized?
• Yes. How is IT quality measured?

How to recognize a good IT consultant

He asks more questions than he gives answers (at least at the beginning).

Anyone who makes recommendations in the first hour without understanding the situation will sell a pre-made solution.

**He talks about tradeoffs, not about "best practices". ** Every IT decision has benefits and disadvantages.

Anyone who shows only one side is either party or too little differentiated.

It provides enforceable recommendations. No 80-page strategy paper without concrete next step.

Good advice ends with: "These are the three measures for the next six months and so they are introduced."

He has no interest in dependency. Good consultants empower internal teams. Poor consultants build knowledge silos that force further advice.

He knows the practice. Someone coming from development or IT operation brings added value other than someone who knows only strategic concepts.

IT consulting and software development: If both are in one hand

For midsize companies it may be useful to have advice and rollout with the same partner – if this partner keeps the separation clear.

Advantage: Recommendations are close to rollout, knowledge is not lost. Risk: Conflict of interest if the consultant recommends the rollout performance he himself provides.

The solution. Clarity about this constellation from the outset, clear dividing line between consulting and implementing mandate.

And the client's right to commission others for rollout on the basis of advice.

At Groenewold IT Solutions we combine IT strategy consulting with rollout competence – transparent and with the goal that customers can decide smarter afterwards, are not more dependent.

Conclusion

IT mid-level advice is valuable if it is separate, responsive and knowledge transfer oriented.

The decision for external advice is especially worthwhile for strategic options, system selection decisions and complex project situations. The right question is not "Do we consult?".

However, "Are we sure enough to make this decision without an external perspective?"

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What does IT consulting cost in mid-sized businesses?

Daily rates of qualified IT consultant: € 1,200–2,500 per day. An IT strategy review for a midsize company (50–200 MA).

Typical 15,000–40,000 € for 4–8 weeks review and documentation.

When does a "Fractional CTO" make sense?

If a company has no full-time IT manager (or can afford), but strategic IT leadership needs.

A Fractional CTO works 1–2 days a week for the company and takes strategic ownership. Cost: 3,000–8,000 €/month – significantly cheaper than a full-time CTO.

How does IT consulting differ from IT support?

IT support: operational operation, helpdesk, troubleshooting. IT consulting: strategic review, recommendations, decision preparation. Both are needed but different.

Does the IT consultant have to know our industry?

Helpful, but not compelling. Good IT consultants learn quickly and ask structured. Industry knowledge is especially important in highly regulated industries (medicine technology, financial services, public sector).

Additional notes

Practical impulse for the topic

In practice, projects often lose drive if Responsible between specialist, IT and external partners remain unclear.

Name Owner for data, security and operation in writing – and link delivery items with acceptance criteria, not only with milestone data.

Groenewold IT

supports architecture, rollout and integration – according to your focus: Software development, IT consulting. If you are unsafe.

This entry is the most risky one, start with a short architecture or discovery workshop instead of a maximum microscope.

Specialization: Requirements and Stakeholders

Projects around beratung rarely fail due to missing features – more often due to unclear decision-making and changing priorities.

Document assumptions explicitly (what we know, what we guess) and link them to review appointments.

really

and bart should not only be addressed “sometimes”. Set measurable intermediate results that show whether the selected direction is wearing.

This increases internal acceptance and makes external communication more credible – for example towards management, supervisory board or public bodies.

IT consulting in mid-sized businesses: What an external IT strategist really does

can be successfully introduced when technology, organization and measurability fit together – instead of insulated tool rollouts without process reference.

Use the overview in this article as a basis for discussion on priorities, risks and the first loadable pilot.

Intensify matching topics in category overview Blog category and check operational support via software development, IT consulting.

Groenewold IT accompanies review, rollout and operation – from the first grouping to scalable releases.

Technical sources and further links

The following separate references complement the grouping on the topics of this Article:

• Bitkom – Digital Economy Association.
• BSI – Federal Office for Information Security.
• European Commission – Digital Strategy.
• MDN Web Docs (Mozilla)
• W3C – World Wide Web Consortium.

"ERP projects rarely fail at the software list, but at unclear process boundaries and lack of expertise in the project."

— *Björn Groenewold, Managing Director, Groenewold IT Solutions *