IT consultants are in demand in companies in all industries in all regions of the world. Their expertise helps companies master digital transformation or improves the digital infrastructure in SMEs and corporations. Here we have put together all the important information about an IT consultant’s tasks and show you the most important skills that IT consultants should bring with them for their job.
IT consultants are sought-after workers with a wide range of tasks
IT consultants are always in demand in companies when IT projects are too big or too complex for the in-house IT department. Therefore, the most important task of an IT consultant could be described as solving problems.
IT consultants are not just technicians, because they are rather a link between developers, engineers, and management. IT consultants have another central task: They understand computer technology, but can translate it into the language of management so that everyone involved really understands, for example, the need for IT measures.
An overview of the tasks of an IT consultant
The special thing about IT consultants is that they can advise and implement solutions themselves. Here is an overview of the central tasks of IT consultants:
- Comprehensive advice to customers on the introduction of new software or IT solutions
- In-depth needs analysis when determining the required software and hardware
- Development, planning, and implementation of IT concepts
- Implementation of new software
- Administration of software or network solutions
- Continuous evaluation of the IT infrastructure
- Coaching and training of employees
- Implementation of quality control
- Checking IT security
- Cost calculation for the introduction of IT solutions
What skills does an IT consultant need to have?
Since IT projects are often tightly timed, IT consultants must be able to work under time pressure. A high degree of resilience is required for this purpose. IT consultants should be just as flexible with their working hours as they are with the locations. Because it is not uncommon for regular working hours to be exceeded significantly due to time pressure or in an emergency.
Other important soft skills for IT consultants:
- Communication skills: IT consultants must be able to explain complex issues easily. In addition to communication skills, good rhetoric and good presentation skills are also important. Since IT consultants also conduct training courses for employees, they should have a certain didactic understanding and skill.
- High level of specialist knowledge: IT consultants are called in precisely because they usually have significantly more specialist knowledge ahead of the in-house IT department. It is not uncommon for IT consultants to specialize in a certain industry. Because meanwhile, IT projects are often so complex and peppered with industry-specific requirements that an IT consultant with profound industry knowledge can better solve the company’s problems than a colleague with very general knowledge.
- Excellent IT skills: IT consultants should know programming languages and the software and hardware used by companies.
- Business management skills: IT consultants are not just programmers or technicians. This is why business administration knowledge is important in order to be able to better take into account, for example, specifications on costs or ROI when designing IT projects or to gain an understanding of them.
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