Investing in technology can improve the efficiency of your daily operations, save time on repetitive tasks, and even motivate your team to find new and creative ways to become more effective in their position. With that said, a botched implementation of a new technology can have the exact opposite effect; soul crushing down-time, wasted money, and frustration that leaves your organization with broken processes and procedures. Don’t let technology work against you, learn from others mistakes and avoid these common I.T blunders.
Not Creating an IT Budget
The “Cloud” offers businesses a way to upgrade technology without large upfront costs by using a monthly subscription plan. This is a phenomenal way to get “enterprise” like solutions without an astronomical price tag, but those monthly subscriptions can add up fast (especially when you’re paying per user). A mistake many companies have been making is losing track of these monthly recurring costs, which ultimately leads to them running out of money before having a complete IT solution in place.
Before investing in new technologies, ensure that you know what your budget is for I.T, what you’re comfortable spending, and what areas of your operations cause the largest headaches. Look into different solutions or speak with an IT consultant who can break down an implementation plan and ensure that you have all of your bases covered to create a complete technology platform.
Purchasing the Newest Rather than the Best Fitting Technology
Given the amount of advertisements we see every day it’s no surprise that a tremendous amount of hype can be generated for a new technology. We hear about how this device or software is going to “revolutionize” the way we live, or that it will solve all of our problems; when in reality that is rarely the case. Not every technology is going to be the best solution for everyone, plain and simple.
Rather than falling victim to the marketing of a new product, take some time and think about what you want to accomplish with technology. Once you can determine pain points or areas that could become more efficient, make a list and prioritize it. At this point, doing research or getting assistance from an IT consultant will allow you to find ways to leverage technology and find the best fit solutions for the list that you have created.
Assuming everything will Work Together Harmoniously
Have you ever heard the phrase “Plug and Play”? If not, you’ve probably already guessed what it means – when you plug in your new device or software, it is designed to immediately start working with your current system. While this is becoming more and more common for consumer products, when it comes to business solutions, this can be an extremely risky assumption. Quite frequently, that new technology is not setup to automatically work and communicate with the current I.T in place.
If this assumption is made without proper research, it could result in crippling downtime, wasted money, or unforeseen fees and additional support to integrate the new technology. Do your research and save yourself from this blunder by working with an IT professional before making a purchase.
Forgetting about Training and Support
The research has been completed, different solutions have been examined, and the best fit has been selected for your most recent IT project; it almost feels too good to be true, but what have you overlooked? Even when you budget out the cost of a new solution carefully, have you put thought into the implementation process – how and when will your team start using your latest investment?
New technology often has a learning curve and chances are your team is going to need training to learn how to use this tool properly. This takes time, which costs you money – how much will this cost you? Or perhaps, you’ve decided to buy a server and keep it in house instead of using the Cloud; how much will you need to spend on maintenance/support to protect that new investment and keep it working for years to come? Talk with your IT provider to see about training and support packages – if they do not offer them you may want to look elsewhere and avoid this common pitfall.
Not Asking for Team Feedback
“Our people are our greatest asset” – I wouldn’t be surprised if many of you have this in your marketing material and if not, I’m sure you’re familiar with the phrase. In order to have a successful implementation of a new technology you’ll need to have your teams support. If employees do not adopt or get on board with the changes, this could become a constant struggle resulting in wasted investment.
Talk to your team before making major purchases or changes that will affect their daily work flow. It’s possible some of your team members have worked with this technology at a previous job, have further insight, or at the very least can provide feedback prior to money going out the door.
Need IT consulting and support? Fuse is happy to assist you with designing, programming, and supporting a complete technology solution for your business. Call us today!
