Not only is your business growing, but technology is advancing at a rapid rate. Which means knowing if it’s time to upgrade to a new IT system is key to protecting the future of your business. Here are four ways to know if your organization is ready for an upgrade.
Your Response Time is Lagging: If users are waiting too long for the system to respond – or if the system often crashes – then it is being overworked and overloaded. Downtime costs small-to-midsize businesses thousands of naira per hour and will hamper employee productivity.
Your cybersecurity is lax: According to the official cybercrime, report cybercrime will cost the world $6 trillion annually by 2021, up from $3 trillion in 2015. A Symantec study found that more than a third of all reported targeted attacks in 2014 were against small businesses. The emerging patterns show that cybercriminals will often target small and medium-sized businesses because they usually do not have the expertise or resources to fend them off. If your websites are consistently down and your staff are not security conscious then you may have a problem.
You can’t grow: As the organization grows, and the data that you store also grows, so too should your systems. If you add new products or expand your client portfolio, then this necessitates the expansion of your data warehousing system. In turn, the reporting functionality within your software must be dynamic and keep up with the pace of your past changing and vibrant business.
Everyone is complaining: Grumbling from employees and customers about delays, clunky processes, and tedious manual tasks means you have a big problem and it is absolutely time to reevaluate your IT infrastructure. Innovative software such as Microsoft Office 365 can help streamline your workflow and automating other processes can help keep customers to employees satisfied.
Final note: Ultimately, without updating your technology, you risk falling behind to competitors, while paying too much to keep your old systems alive or disappointing your clients. To future-proof your business and stay productive, you’ll need to embrace more modern technologies. The cloud can offer your firm space to grow, reliable uptime, flexible working, and cost-effective billing. It’s the freedom you need to do your best work efficiently. Want to find out more? Get in touch with our team.
