As the modern world becomes increasingly digitized, a growing number of information technology (IT) service companies have opened in tandem. According to data from the U.S. government's investment summit, Select USA, there are already more than half a million IT service companies located within the United States – a figure only anticipated to rise as the global consumer base continues its reliance on technology. In the competitive landscape of U.S. enterprises, implementing IT services can give fledgling start-ups the much-needed boost to carve out a niche for themselves within the industry. Now, cloud services visionary Stephen Garden, known for scaling tech consulting company Onica into a $200 million-plus revenue powerhouse, looks to help navigate up-and-coming companies toward success by sharing his IT industry secrets.

Stephen Garden
Stephen Garden Stephen Garden

With IT innovations like cloud computing becoming an integral backbone of technological advances, 21st-century businesses have been given the opportunity to accelerate growth unlike ever before. Given research company Gartner's estimate that cloud computing will bring in $480 billion in global revenue this year, adopting the technology into burgeoning companies has become a near-ubiquitous need, helping streamline operations and improve reliability.

"By becoming global experts in Amazon Web Services – the leading cloud platform – our level of experience became unrivaled," Garden reveals about his time at Onica. "Hiring, developing, and investing in some of the world's foremost cloud computing experts also played a major role in the popularity of the company among our customers."

Similarly, opportunities provided by IT services to businesses allow their employees to work remotely more efficiently – an undeniable need amid the covid-19 pandemic. With recent surveys showing some 60 percent of American workers desire to continue working from home post-pandemic, IT services companies offer the opportunity to maintain overall high-quality productivity and high employee morale, something Garden touts as a must for organization success, while seamlessly adapting to the new normal.

"One way to compete with the big S&P 500 tech employers is to offer a more flexible working environment," suggests Garden. "For example, creating rapid career development paths and access to more development opportunities in a shorter period than the traditional career ladder affords for."

Aligning with emerging technology like cloud computing can help establish a business's clear path to success, says Garden, allowing companies to grow along with the times and stimulate positive impetus forward needed to create the 'flywheel effect.' By achieving small successes time after time, businesses can grow sufficient momentum to propel themselves forward to the point where growth occurs by itself, a tricky feat made easier by the use of IT services.

"Having a central channel partner such as Amazon, Microsoft or Google is absolutely critical in rapidly scaling your tech services business," continues Garden. "Most of these platforms provide programs to help you build a business supporting their products for customers."

With the IT industry expected to hit near the half-trillion revenue mark in 2022, businesses looking to scale have plentiful opportunities to pursue in this rapidly expanding sector.