Tech moves fast. One day you have the latest software or device, and the next day you’re light years behind. From a business perspective, it doesn’t make sense to swap out your tech every few months. And yet allowing your systems and software to degrade leaves you vulnerable as well — to both security affronts and to competitors eager to swoop in on your business.
However, there is some middle ground. Smart investments can improve your technology platform today and prepare you to make changes as your business model evolves. In fact, there are several specific improvements that will position you for growth and prepare you for advancing technology. It’s all in our e-book Strategic Ways to Increase Efficiency in Your Technology Platform. Here’s a sampling of what you’ll find inside.
How Planned Cabled Networks Can Future-Proof Your Infrastructure
Tech trends may come and go, but some things never go out of style. A planned structured cabling network helps future-proof your networking infrastructure, allowing unparalleled data speeds and providing a framework for voice, data, video and other device connections. And while that should improve connectivity and efficiency now, investing in a cabled infrastructure also provides a uniform backbone for all the communications systems your company uses now and in the future.
That uniformity is the key. Structured cabling configurations are standardized so that any future installer can add links and new systems or improve them without ripping out the office walls. As cabling standards evolve, this uniform architecture can provide innumerable cost savings when it’s time to upgrade your network.
Why Cloud Servers Are So Cost Effective
Moving to a cloud environment is a big decision — and one you shouldn’t make on an impulse. That said, there are some pretty compelling reasons to migrate over, especially if you’re thinking about long-term cost savings.
Cloud environments offer incredible scalability compared to on-premise environments. Adding or resizing cloud repositories is a matter of a few clicks and does not require a complex equipment investment, installation and configuration. Your team members can quickly deploy new environments for testing or even scale down according to market demand.
There are certainly trade offs. You could argue that cloud servers don’t have the security benefits of on-premise environments — definitely something to consider for workloads containing sensitive information. However, when you have a professional IT service provider configure your cloud environment, you can add additional protections like data encryption and threat detection systems to keep data as secure as it is convenient.
How Communication Can Be Improved with VoIP and Unified Communication Systems
No man is an island, and in the working world, that’s never been more true than it is today. With remote team members and diverse multi-location offices, keeping in touch is more important than ever.
VoIP phone systems offer an immediate cost savings compared to conventional phone services. However, by moving your business phones from landline services to the internet, you’ll also improve collaboration, especially if you choose to implement unified communications systems. These suites of video conferencing, messaging and voicemail applications connect your phone services to computers and devices, making the process of connecting with team members simpler and more streamlined.
How You Can Secure Digital Assets Now, Before Hacks Happen
If the cloud has allowed for more convenience and efficiency, it’s also created a exploitable vulnerabilities for opportunistic hackers. Cyber-criminal activity is at an all-time high — Breach Level Index estimates that approximately 5 million data records are stolen every day, which amounts to around 56 records a second.
Evolving business technologies only stand to make things worse. Machine learning and AI, now synonymous with technological progress, will ramp up the consequences of intrusions and other hacking events. Imagine, for instance, the kind of havoc threat actors could reap if they had access to automated industrial mechanisms or deep analytical insights into business processes.
To ensure that your business is up to these forthcoming challenges, it’s necessary to revise corporate culture so that privacy and security take higher precedence. Securing your assets with not only more advanced protection equipment but also thorough, thought-out procedures for addressing threats and breaches will help immensely in the face of expanding security risks.
Why a Technical Roadmap Will Help You Keep Future Growth in Mind
Emerging technologies have the potential to significantly improve business efficiency and tap previously unreachable markets. AI, machine learning and big data insights now seem like an immovable eventuality rather than some futurist’s phantasmagoria.
However, implementing these technologies will be a process. Technology road mapping helps you identify the innovations that will assist you with your core competencies. It also creates an articulated plan for integrating new systems and the infrastructure to support them.
All of these tasks will position you for a growth-filled tomorrow. But learning how to implement them takes a little more research. For a deeper dive, check out our e-book Strategic Ways to Increase Efficiency in Your Technology Platform. Download it now to get started choosing more robust, dynamic technological investments — the future of your tech may depend on it!