An effective Information Technology (IT) infrastructure is crucial for any organization to ensure seamless operations, data security, and efficient service delivery. The review and evaluation of the IT infrastructure aims to identify existing gaps, vulnerabilities, and areas for improvement across various components of the IT ecosystem. This comprehensive review and evaluation is essential for several reasons, including ensuring data security to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access and cyber threats, optimizing performance to ensure that software and hardware systems operate efficiently and effectively, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards, identifying opportunities for cost savings and resource optimization, and future-proofing the IT infrastructure to ensure it is scalable and capable of supporting future growth and technological advancements.

The review and evaluation will be conducted in three main phases: Planning/Preparation, Performing the Review, and Post-Review activities. The process will begin with a kick-off meeting with key stakeholders to outline the scope and objectives of the review. It is strongly recommended to include a local IT person who can assist in gathering the necessary information. During this meeting, the tasks involved in the network review will be briefly discussed, and any questions, concerns, or comments will be addressed. The scheduling of the post-review meeting will also be tentatively planned during this call or decided to be arranged later once the review is completed.

In the performing review phase, interviews will be conducted with local IT resources and vendors to gain insights into the current IT systems and processes. Remote access will be obtained to gather detailed information and perform tasks aimed at identifying gaps, vulnerabilities, and opportunities for improvement. This phase will involve a comprehensive evaluation of the IT infrastructure, including standard operating procedures (SOPs), systems, software effectiveness, security, storage/cloud servers, and hardware.

After the review activities are completed, the post-review phase will commence. A detailed discovery report will be prepared, outlining the findings from the review, and highlighting any identified issues and risks. The IT review and evaluation will provide a comprehensive assessment of the current IT infrastructure, uncovering areas for improvement and offering actionable recommendations to enhance overall performance, security, and efficiency.

Conducting this IT review and evaluation offers several key benefits. It enhances security by identifying and addressing vulnerabilities to protect against potential threats. It improves efficiency by streamlining IT operations and optimizing the performance of systems and processes. It ensures compliance and risk management by adhering to relevant regulations and mitigating risks associated with IT operations. It identifies cost-saving opportunities through improved resource utilization and eliminating inefficiencies. Finally, it provides valuable insights that aid in strategic decision-making and future IT investments.

Tools we use for data gathering are but not limited to surveys, group meetings, remote access, and 1:1 dyad. Each area report is presented to Executive Leadership, Board, and/or Stakeholders at the end of each review and evaluation. Actionable recommendations will be provided for addressing the identified gaps and vulnerabilities. The findings and recommendations will then be presented in the report, ensuring a clear understanding, and addressing any initial concerns.