Currently, the Mexican company is composed mostly of micro and small companies that make up more than 95% of the total industry, this shows the importance of this type of company, which is a fundamental part of the recovery and recovery processes. of reorganization of the national economy and in the structural change of the productive apparatus that the country requires.
Summary
So if many of these SMEs are family members, they tend to hire external accounting, IT, among others, however create an IT department adaptable to the organization's infrastructure, which can contribute to the development of the company optimizing time, money and effort and not be dependent on a computer technical advisor.
Cobit implementation can be done by taking only the most important to have an excellent IT department.
Introduction
SMEs are an important item of the economy of all countries and especially of Mexico. Mexican SMEs, unlike Asian ones, have not actively participated in the use of information systems, such as SCM (Value Chain Management), E-Commerce (Electronic Commerce), EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), etc. and they run the risk of falling into a "digital divide" from which it will be difficult to get out, thereby losing competitiveness in this globalized world.
Trends in the world such as globalization, technological development and competition lead organizations to redefine their strategies to achieve their objectives.
In a world of impressive technological advances, especially in the computing and telecommunications areas, it forces organizations to be at the forefront of their information systems. For these organizations, Information Technology (IT) can be a very powerful tool to help them define their strategies, optimize their organization and management of their information and thus increase their productivity.
IT concept
The acronym of IT is Information Technology but a very basic definition of IT is the use of computer technology (hardware and software) by the company. Other definition of IT is the use of computers and telecommunications for the processing and distribution of digital, audio, video, and other media information.
SME concept
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
Once the concept of IT has been defined, in the second instance it is necessary to establish the way in which companies are classified in Mexico, in order to consider a company as micro, small or medium.
SMEs and IT
Currently in many places there are computers at home, at school, small, medium and large companies regardless of whether they are public or private, for different uses of course but it does not make sense to have a computer or 10 if they are not tools related to those objectives of the organization. Here's an idea of what you can do to implement an IT department in a small business.
This document shows some tips to implement an IT department in a small or medium business.
Make use of cobit as a frame of reference in and take from there some points to apply them to SMEs, since cobit provides management and business process owners with an Information Technology (IT) management model that helps understand and manage risks associated with IT
Stages
1 Business requirements. The IT department has the technological resources necessary to meet the objectives of the organization. You have to plan and organize what are the technological or computer requirements that the organization requires to achieve its objectives.
The proposal is to verify what I have, in technological infrastructure and what I need to achieve my objectives as an organization.
Planning and organizing is all about identifying how IT can best contribute to achieving business objectives. Furthermore, the realization of the strategic vision requires to be planned, communicated and managed from different perspectives. Finally, an organizational structure and an appropriate technological structure must be implemented. This domain covers the following typical management questions:
• Are IT and business strategies aligned?
• Is the company achieving optimal use of its resources?
• Do everyone within the organization understand the IT objectives?
• Are IT risks understood and managed?
• Is the quality of IT systems appropriate for business needs?
Perform the following operational planning activities or processes.
• Definition of a Strategic Information Technology Plan according to your needs
• Definition of the Information Architecture
• Determination of the technological direction
• Definition of the Organization and IT Relationships
• Investment Management in Information Technology
• Communication of the direction and aspirations of the management
• Human resources management
• Assurance of Compliance with External Requirements
• Risks evaluation
• Project management
2. IT resources. Once we have the resources, we have to find a way to manage and implement them
Acquire and implement. To carry out the IT strategy, IT solutions need to be identified, developed or acquired as well as the implementation and integration into business processes. In addition, the change and maintenance of existing systems to ensure that solutions continue to meet business objectives. This section generally covers the following management questions:
• Do new projects generate solutions that meet business needs?
• Are new projects delivered on time and on budget?
• Will the new systems work properly once they are implemented?
• Will the changes affect current business operations?
The following activities are indispensable in acquisition and implementation.
• Identification of Solutions
• Acquisition and Maintenance of Application Software
• Acquisition and Maintenance of Technology Architecture
• Development and Maintenance of Procedures related to Information Technology
• Installation and Accreditation of Systems
• Change Management
3. IT processes. The processes that are automated are delivered, they are supported but also have to be monitored, to evaluate their performance and know if they are giving expected results or not.
Deliver And Support The delivery itself of the required services is covered, which includes the provision of the service, the administration of security and continuity, the support of the service to the users, the administration of the data and the facilities. operational. It generally clarifies the following questions from management:
• Are IT services being delivered according to business priorities?
• Are IT costs optimized?
• Is the workforce capable of using IT systems productively and safely?
• Are confidentiality, integrity, and availability properly implemented?
We have to do the following:
• Definition of Service Levels
• Management of Services provided by Third Parties
• Performance and Capacity
Management
• Continuous Service Assurance • Guarantee of Systems Security
• Identification and Assignment of Costs
• Education and Training of Users
• Support and Assistance to Clients of Information Technology
• Configuration
Management • Problem and Incident
Management
• Data Management
• Facilities Management • Operations Management
To measure results of the IT department, as well as the optimization of automated work, the quality and performance of the implemented systems, the following must be done:
MONITOR AND EVALUATE All IT processes must be regularly evaluated over time for their quality and compliance with control requirements. Performance management, internal control monitoring, regulatory compliance and IT department enforcement. It typically covers the following management questions:
• Is IT performance measured to catch problems before it's too late?
• Does Management guarantee that internal controls are effective and efficient? • Can the performance of what IT has done be linked to business goals?
• Are risks, control, compliance and performance measured and reported?
How to monitor:
• Monitor the internal control framework
• Audit reviews Monitor and report effectiveness
• Control exceptions Record information
• Control self-evaluation Evaluate the completeness and effectiveness of internal controls
• Assurance of internal control
• Corrective actions Identify and initiate corrective measures based on evaluations and control reports.
This information is obtained from cobit, it should be noted that cobit is implemented by corporations or large companies and that is not why an SME cannot make use of it, only that we have to adapt it to our needs, our capacity and analyze our solutions, some of the benefits that we get when implementing cobit are:
• Clearly define roles and who is accountable at the strategic, tactical and operational levels.
• Facilitates self-assessment of the state of IT in the organization.
• It is an audit tool for the organization's IT controls.
• Allows managerial measurement through indicators and the maturity model.
At the managerial level
• Make decisions related to IT investment.
• Balance risks and controls of IT investments.
• Carry out a comparative analysis of the environment to establish the right technology and people environment in the future.
- At user level
Obtain a guarantee of return on investment on the security, controls and products and services that they acquire internally and externally.
- At the audit level
Support before the Management their criteria about internal controls.
Ask yourself and answer: what are the minimum necessary controls?
Conclusions
With the preparation of this document it is intended to raise awareness among SMEs of the importance of having their own IT department and not being dependent on external consultants, it was demonstrated through a series of stages such as implementing an IT department in an SME in order to optimize its processes and be at the level of competitiveness of international companies. Here are some of the benefits that an SME can obtain by implementing an IT department
A) Increased productivity. Using IT in your business increases your productivity.
B) Coordination of activities. There is a better use in carrying out activities.
C) Time saving. Using IT the time in the realization of processes is optimized.
D) Level of competitiveness. IT always allows it to be better than the competition or at least to be at level
E) Decision making. The effectiveness and efficiency in the decision-making process is improved because the results obtained become more precise and allow estimations to be made.
F) Service. In terms of service, the satisfaction that customers receive for the quality of services and the technology options that are implemented to achieve excellence.
Queries
www.eumed.net/cursecon/ecolat/mx/2005/afcd-mpymem.htm
.
download.rincondelvago.com/pequena-y-mediana-empresa-en-mexico
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tecnolog%C3%ADas_de_la_informaci%C3%B3n_y_la_comunicaci%C3%B3n
