Tips on Planning Your Next IT Investment

Keeping your small business’ technology up to date is a lot like maintaining a car: you need to make updates to keep it running smoothly and avoid costly breakdowns. The problem is, with IT, where do you start? 

Assess Your Current Technology

Start by figuring out what you already have and how it’s working. Write down all the tools, hardware, and software you use, like computers, printers, software, or cloud services. How do they fit into your business? Are they running smoothly? Are they working well together, or are they creating bottlenecks? This step will help you identify what’s working and what needs improvement.

Set Clear Goals

You know what you want and need out of your business and if your IT isn’t providing that, you need to find some other technology to help you meet your goals. Do you need to boost productivity? If so, you should be looking for ways to automate some aspects of your operations. Do you want to provide better customer support? Consider turning to a new Customer Relationship Management system or improve your organization’s communication tools. Is your security the problem? You need tools and strategies that would work to improve the security of your digital assets. Are you falling behind? You need your technology to grow alongside your business and having antiquated processes and tools won’t get you to the next level.

Ultimately, you need to define your goals in order to ascertain where improvements have to be made.

Create a Budget

Upgrading technology can get expensive, but it doesn’t have to break the bank. You first need to know what you are working with. Overextending your budget only to get a lower ROI than you initially expect or running into implementation problems, could put your whole business at risk. This is when speaking to the IT professionals at Macro Systems about how to structure your technology is probably the best plan. Many modern businesses use a combination of SaaS and self-hosted technologies to be able to gain control and cost flexibility in specific areas of their operations. A clear budget will help you prioritize upgrades that offer the best return on investment.

Prioritize Needs

You don’t have to upgrade everything at once. Focus on what’s most critical. You probably will need more than you initially think but with a good strategy, you should be able to handle everything you need to handle. You will definitely want to prioritize replacing outdated hardware as it can slow down processes and also be a potential security hazard. Moving to software; many titles are featuring AI-enhanced computing that improve their ability to offer automation that can really move the needle in productivity and efficiency. Lastly, don’t sleep on security. Data breaches can be extremely bad for any organization, especially small businesses that don’t have the capital to remediate any threat. 

Train Your Team

The fact is that new technology is only helpful if your team knows how to use it. Teach your employees how to use the new tools effectively and make sure to get feedback as they will be the ones using them. Their input can really give you a good perspective on how to adjust processes, procedures, and direct investments into your technology. 

We Are Here to Help

If tech upgrades feel overwhelming, don’t hesitate to get help from our team of knowledgeable IT technicians. We work with Metro Washington, DC area businesses day in and day out to help them get the most out of their technology investments and to avoid falling victim to strategies that will put your business in a bind. Give us a call at 703-359-9211 to learn how we can help.