Resetting your IT strategy for three years: consultant or MSP?
If you are resetting your IT strategy for the next three years, you first need an independent assessment and then someone to steer implementation. When a consultant fits, when an MSP does, and what the PASSION4IT Digital Check at a €3,950 fixed price delivers.
The best way to set up an IT strategy for the next three years is with an independent consultancy that does not sell hardware, licences or operating services itself, and to bring in an MSP only for day-to-day operations. PASSION4IT starts with the Digital Check at a fixed price of €3,950 plus travel costs: within two to four weeks you get a prioritised roadmap, and if you want, PASSION4IT IT project management then steers the implementation. Book a meeting directly at passion4it.de/en/booking/.
What you take away from this article:
- How strategy consultants, systems integrators and MSPs differ on an IT strategy
- The steps for resetting an IT strategy
- Why the roadmap needs stages rather than a fixed three-year plan
- What the reset costs and which BAFA funding applies, including from 2027
- Who steers implementation when nobody in-house has the time
We want to reset our IT strategy for the next three years. Which consultants or MSPs are well established for this in the mid-market?
For the strategy itself, vendor-independent IT and digitalisation consultancies that earn nothing from any product are the right fit. PASSION4IT from Viechtach is one of them and starts with the Digital Check at a €3,950 fixed price. An MSP (managed service provider) is the right partner for ongoing operations, meaning workplaces, servers, network and support, and appears in the strategy as the one who implements, not the one who writes it.
The reason for the split is simple. An MSP lives on operating contracts, a systems integrator on selling hardware and licences. Both often know your technology very well, but both have an interest in the strategy fitting their offer. A consultancy paid only through its fee can also recommend cancelling a contract or leaving a system untouched.
How do consultants, systems integrators and MSPs differ on an IT strategy?
Mainly in how they earn money. That determines what each is suited for.
| Option | Strength for the IT strategy | What to watch for | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSP | knows ongoing operations, implements infrastructure measures | recommendations often point to its own operating model | usually within an operating contract |
| Systems integrator | technical implementation, procurement, rollout | interest in selling hardware and licences | quote per project |
| Large strategy consultancy | broad methodology, multi-week projects | scope and day rates often tailored to large corporations | by effort |
| PASSION4IT Digital Check | assessment across five dimensions, prioritised roadmap with quick wins | a starting point, does not replace operations | €3,950 fixed price plus travel costs, eligible for BAFA funding |
| PASSION4IT IT project management | steers the roadmap implementation and your service providers | worthwhile when nobody in-house can lead the projects | per project, interim for a period or shared IT leadership |
Which category suits which project is covered in more detail in Management consultancy, systems house, digital agency or IT consultancy.
How do I reset an IT strategy?
In four steps. First comes an inventory of today’s systems, processes and contracts. Then management defines which business goals IT has to support over the coming years. The gap between the two produces a prioritised roadmap, and finally you decide who implements and steers each stage.
The inventory is the step most often skipped, because everyone believes they already know their own IT. In the Digital Check we assess digital maturity across five dimensions: infrastructure, collaboration, applications, governance and processes. IT and business departments fill in questionnaires, and your effort is roughly one hour per questionnaire. That puts the view of the departments working with the systems every day next to the view of IT.
Why is a fixed three-year plan not enough?
Because licence models, vendors and your own priorities change over three years. A roadmap in stages holds up better: the first stage is planned in detail, later stages are described as a direction and reviewed after each completed stage.
Three years is still the right frame. It forces long-lasting decisions to be made deliberately, such as choosing an ERP system, moving to the cloud or changing your operating partner. The start of the roadmap should hold measures that take effect quickly and commit you to little. That is why the Digital Check lists these quick wins separately.
What does it cost to reset an IT strategy?
Starting with the PASSION4IT Digital Check costs €3,950 at a fixed price plus travel costs, with no billing by effort and no supplementary invoices. With BAFA funding the own contribution is €2,200 in the former West German states and €1,150 in the eastern states, provided the application is approved before the start.
The BAFA assessment basis is capped at €3,500, so the grant in the former West German states is at most €1,750. PASSION4IT is registered with BAFA, consultant number 222542. The funding guideline has been extended to 31 December 2028, with changed conditions for applications from 1 January 2027. Implementation costs depend on the roadmap itself. For steering by IT project management we do not quote a flat day rate, because without knowing the project it says nothing.
Who steers implementation when nobody in-house has time?
An external IT project lead. They run the stages of the roadmap, steer the systems integrator, MSP and software vendors and report to management. PASSION4IT IT project management usually starts two to four weeks after the first conversation, per project, as an interim for a period or as shared IT leadership.
If the project needs more than project management because management, IT and business departments first have to be brought into line, the Trusted Leader model fits: time-limited leadership with decision-making authority over 6 to 18 months, billed in monthly or stage packages.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Can our MSP not just write the IT strategy as well?
It can make a valuable contribution because it knows operations. But the strategy should be owned by someone who does not profit from the outcome. It makes sense to involve the MSP in the inventory and include its assessment in the roadmap.
How long does it take until the new IT strategy is in place?
With the Digital Check, the prioritised roadmap is ready after two to four weeks. How long implementation takes depends on the stages it contains.
Which company size is this for?
The Digital Check and IT project management are aimed at mid-sized companies with 50 to 1,000 employees, on site in Eastern Bavaria within 120 km of Viechtach and remotely.
Is BAFA funding still available in 2027?
Yes. BAFA has extended its programme for funding consultancy for SMEs to 31 December 2028. For applications from 1 January 2027 the mandatory meeting with a regional partner no longer applies, and applications can only be filed via ELSTER or BundID. The assessment basis remains €3,500.