Is Technology a Competitive Advantage or Business Necessity?
Companies of all sizes have strategically approached technology with the vision of a competitive advantage and have experienced a high level of dissatisfaction. The fundamental issue with this approach is that all companies can purchase the same technologies so there is not a competitive advantage! However, the real advantage is gained by how the solution is implemented and its ability to support the corporation’s tactical and strategic initiatives while managing risk at all levels. The Penn Valley Group (PVG) provides the business and technical leadership that brings the best solution for the business while accelerating the achievement of true business results.
PVG will review the enterprise architecture consisting of the business, information and technology alignment making the appropriate recommendations for improvement where necessary. In addition our approach identifies redundancies and makes recommendations when there isn’t alignment with best practices and business initiatives, which will streamline the processes from a cost and performance perspective without affecting the day-to-day operations or major projects. We accomplish this through a full suite of services including:
Business and Technology Planning
Business and Technology Planning is an approach that considers the strategic and technology position today with regard to the business initiatives and the technology trends that are available to support the corporate objectives in the future. This approach addresses all aspects of the business and requires organizational and financial considerations that will drive the potential acquisition of technologies and the projects that will be planned. PVG's approach allows for IT and business to develop an integrated vision, statement of direction and execution plan that enables you to be truly competitive in the dynamic marketplace and economy.
Governance and Controls
Governance and Controls are the initial steps in assuring all projects and new technologies are aligned with each segment of the business and the technologies support the corporate goals and objectives. All sectors of the business must participate in the governance process whether implementing a project or purchasing a new technology as it assures regulatory compliance (HIPPA, FDA, ISO, SarBox). PVG provides the leadership to establish and maintain the structure, policies and procedures to meet these objectives.
Program Management Office
The Program Management Office (PMO) is an integral part of information technology and the business. It is the fundamental structure that ensures the success of corporate projects. Many industry studies have concluded that over 85% of IT projects fail to meet the projected results and benefits that justified them in the first place. PVG's approach is to provide leadership and responsibility to the PMO for the management of multiple projects from a business, financial and technical perspective. PVG works with you to create, design and run a PMO that encompasses cross functional teams that control the implementation of projects prioritized by the governance and controls process.
Portfolio Management
Portfolio Management is the final step of governance and controls that tracks the success of a project after implementation and will determine if the expenditure is meeting performance expectations and bottom line results. PVG utilizes a unique approach to evaluate IT projects and offers process improvement solutions that will provide the needed steps to meet and exceed performance expectations.
Audit Preparation and Compliance
Audits are a necessary activity in any business. Information technology plays an integral role in ensuring compliance. The IT controls that are established and monitored determine the integrity of corporate data at its most fundamental level. PVG uses an IT and financial perspective utilizing our knowledge and experience of leading and participating in successful audits across multiple industries.
IT Security
Information security has emerged as one of the most talked about, yet least understood, areas of risk management facing organizations today. Highly-publicized information breaches illustrate the critical importance of this threat. Often vulnerabilities are overlooked until it is too late. At PVG, we realize that often times the greatest information security risks are litigation and damage to your reputation through unwanted bad press, rather than the actual loss of the information itself. Legislation has changed the nature of the risk and protecting against negligence must be a top priority for the executive team.
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning
The Business and Continuity Planning (BCP) and Disaster Recovery (DR) encompass the preparation, testing and updating of specific actions to protect critical business processes from the effect of a major business or natural catastrophe. BCP and DR work hand in hand to provide the organization with the means to continue and recover business operations when a disaster strikes. PVG utilizes an intensive and highly detailed planning process that results in the documentation of procedures for the company as well as a complete testing and subsequent review process.
Change Management
Business and IT change management encompasses configuration, release, service desk and incident management as well as the support and delivery of services to the clients. PVG’s approach incorporates change management as a major component of all corporate activities.
Enterprise Systems
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) are mission critical systems that manage the flow of information amongst all corporate business functions both internally and externally. Making a misguided decision on one of these systems can have a negative impact on the company. PVG's approach leverages our experienced, multi-disciplinary resources in the areas Finance, Information Technology, Operations, Sales and Marketing and Human Resources to ensure the business issues and requirements are properly represented during system selection through the implementation and change management process.
Emerging Technologies
New technologies permeate the business environment today and decisions must be made if they add more value than the current technologies in use. Technologies such as cloud computing, virtualization, social networks, open source and crowdsourcing are just a few examples of buzz words that are being used in the marketplace. Are they worth investigating for your business? PVG has the experience and expertise to help you navigate and evaluate the allure of new technologies and assist you with making the best decision for your business that drives real, measurable value.