Information Technology and Company Reputation

ByDaniel Gottilla

Information Technology and Company Reputation

Company reputation is one of those make-or-break deals in today’s business climate. Companies like Zappos, which thrives on good word-of-mouth, have put the spotlight on the importance of customer service and online image in building a successful business.

However, company reputation isn’t just about good customer service. Company reputation goes beyond making a customer feel good to making sure your customers never realize that you put time, effort, and money into making the entire interaction positive.

For example, few customers think about the amount of capacity planning their financial may or may not have considered before going live with online banking. They don’t care how many other customers are using the billpay system at the same time as them, and they don’t care how much it costs you to create a secure network. What they care about is getting their financial information in real time and not being bothered by an overloaded system.

In this way, information technology is a lot like a building’s foundation. Few people know just how much architectural planning goes into creating the foundation for their home; all they know is that they want the house to remain solid even when earthquakes, mudslides, and regular wear and tear make their mark.

That’s why any negative feedback from consumers on the state of your IT system can be catastrophic to your business. This doesn’t just mean that you have to protect against an attack that threatens your customer data or safety; it also means you have to have a strong infrastructure that is able to make everything appear effortless and easy.

For many companies, this means you need a greater focus on capacity planning and IT vulnerability management. IT planning is, after all, the real scene-behind-the-scenes of any good company that operates online or utilizes a large database of customer information. Whether you need to build a new IT backbone from the ground-up, or you simply want to reassess your foundation and fill in the cracks, you, too, can benefit from a good company reputation.