Services · Business consulting
Organizational and IT assessment
We assess the maturity of your organization and your technology (systems, infrastructure, security, data and IT governance), deliver a prioritized roadmap and support adoption with change management.
An organizational and IT assessment evaluates how an organization's technology, processes and structure support, or hold back, its business goals. At AVILA®, a technology and consulting firm based in Monterrey, Mexico, we have run these assessments since 2004: we review systems, infrastructure, security and ways of working, and deliver a prioritized roadmap.
When does an assessment make sense?
Nobody has a complete list of the systems, licenses and vendors the organization uses.
Technology spending keeps rising, but operations aren't improving at the same pace.
There have been security incidents, outages or data loss, or a real fear that they will happen.
A major change is coming: a new ERP, a move to the cloud, a merger or a leadership transition.
The relationship between IT and the business is strained, and each side blames the other.
The organization depends on a single person or on a vendor that no longer responds.
What we review
Organization and processes
Structure, roles and responsibilities; how technology decisions are made today; which critical processes still run on spreadsheets, email or paper, and where data is entered twice.
Applications and data
An inventory of systems (ERP, CRM, in-house software and cloud services): who uses them, what they cost, how they integrate, where data is duplicated and what reliable information exists for decision-making.
Infrastructure and cloud
Servers, cloud, networks, computers, email and licensing: lifecycle status, capacity, backups, contracts and monthly costs.
Information security
Accounts and permissions, two-step verification, backups and recovery testing, updates, endpoint protection and handling of personal data under Mexico's Federal Law on the Protection of Personal Data Held by Private Parties.
IT governance
Budget, vendor contracts and service levels, policies, IT department KPIs and how projects are prioritized.
What you get
An inventory of systems, infrastructure, licenses and vendors.
A maturity assessment by dimension, with a simple scale and the evidence behind each score.
A risk matrix: likelihood, impact and recommended actions.
A prioritized roadmap of immediate, short-term and mid-term actions, with owners and estimated effort.
An IT governance proposal sized for your organization: who decides, how projects are approved and how IT is measured.
An executive presentation for leadership or the board.
Change management
Many technology projects fail for lack of adoption, not for technical reasons. That's why we support the changes the assessment recommends with a change management plan: identifying who each change affects, explaining why it's happening, training by role, naming internal champions and measuring real usage after go-live. This work focuses on adopting processes and systems; it is not human resources consulting, which within AVILAPRO Group is handled by Fortescope®.
How we work
Kickoff with leadership: goals, scope, areas to review and schedule.
Interviews and workshops with business teams and with IT or your current provider.
Technical review of infrastructure, accounts, backups and applications, with controlled access and a confidentiality agreement.
Analysis: maturity scoring, risk matrix and improvement options with their cost and benefit.
Results presentation and roadmap, with time for questions and adjustments.
From assessment to action
As a technology firm, we can carry out what the assessment recommends or support your team and vendors while they do it. The most common next steps are support plans and information security, migrations to Microsoft Azure, cleaning up Microsoft 365 and Copilot licensing, selecting an ERP or CRM and redesigning processes before automating them.
Experience behind the service
Starting in 2004, our Business Consulting Unit combined strategic alignment, effectiveness workshops and IT redesign for manufacturing and construction companies. In 2009 AVILA® earned MoProSoft Level 1 certification, the Mexican process model for the software industry, and we bring its discipline of measurable processes to every IT assessment. By 2019 we were already managing Azure and Office 365 for several clients, experience we draw on when reviewing infrastructure and cloud. See more in case studies.
Benefits
- A complete view of your systems, licenses, vendors and costs.
- Security and continuity risks identified before they become incidents.
- Technology investments prioritized by their impact on the business.
- Clear IT governance rules: who decides, how things are approved and how results are measured.
- Better adoption of new systems thanks to change management.
- An outside, documented opinion for leadership or the board.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between an IT assessment and an IT audit?
An audit checks compliance with controls or standards and concludes whether they are met. An assessment seeks to understand how technology supports the business and recommends what to improve and in what order. It covers security and controls, but also processes, costs, vendors and ways of working. It ends with a roadmap, not just a list of findings.
How long does an IT assessment take?
It depends on the number of departments, systems and locations reviewed, and on your team's availability for interviews. The proposal sets out the scope, schedule and deliverables before we start. If we find an urgent risk, such as backups that don't work, we tell you as soon as we find it rather than waiting for the final report.
Do you need access to our systems and passwords?
For the technical review we need read-only access, agreed with your team and covered by a confidentiality agreement. We recommend temporary accounts with limited permissions that are removed when we finish. Credentials should never travel by email or chat: you can send them with the self-destructing secrets in our client tools.
What is IT governance, and does a midsize company need it?
IT governance is the set of rules for making technology decisions: who approves projects and purchases, how they're prioritized, how IT and vendors are measured, and which policies apply. A midsize company doesn't need a complex framework, but it does need basic agreements in writing. We propose them sized to your organization.
Does the assessment include information security?
Yes, as one of its dimensions: accounts and permissions, two-step verification, backups and recovery testing, updates, endpoint protection and personal data. It doesn't replace a specialized penetration test, but it identifies the most common and urgent risks and tells you when a deeper review is warranted.
What is change management?
It's the set of actions that help people adopt a new process or system: explaining why it's happening, involving those affected, training by role, answering questions at go-live and measuring real usage. Without it, a well-implemented system can end up underused while people drift back to their spreadsheets.
How does our IT team or current provider take part?
As allies. The assessment isn't about finding someone to blame: it needs the people who know the technical operation to understand past decisions and the reasons behind them. We share findings with them before the final presentation to validate the facts. Many recommendations are later carried out by them, with or without our support.
Can you implement what the assessment recommends?
Yes. As a technology firm, we handle cloud migrations, support plans, licensing, systems development and platform selection. But the assessment is independent: you decide whether to implement it with us, with your own team or with another provider, and the roadmap is written so anyone can follow it. Reach out through our contact page.
Case studies with this service
Manufacturing · 2011
Assessment, selection, and implementation of an ERP for manufacturing companies
Several manufacturing companies chose and implemented their ERP with AVILA®'s support, starting from a prior assessment of their processes and technology.