Three Areas Your Business’s Technology Plan Should Prioritize
You already know that making sound investments pays dividends in the business world. The same is true for your business’s technology plan; if you support a strong technology initiative in your organization, you’ll reap the rewards of protection and efficiency.
But if your organization is just beginning to build a technology plan, it can be challenging to know where to start. There are endless elements and evolving tools that a business could consider, and all of them make promises for success. How do you create a plan that will truly enhance your company’s resources instead of drain them?
Here, we’ve outlined three elements that your business’s technology plan should prioritize.
1. Technology Plan Priority #1: Complementary Equipment
The equipment that you choose for your business matters greatly when it comes to your technology plan. Even if you have a few great technology assets, if they don’t work together with your other equipment and contribute toward your organization’s unique goals, you won’t see the full benefit—or they could even counteract one another.
It’s important to invest in high quality equipment that meets your specific needs. Inexpensive equipment may not include important updates or can quickly turn faulty, which can put your data at risk and lead to expensive remediation efforts.
For example, cheap routers aren’t exactly notorious for providing the enhanced security features that businesses need. Consider looking for a router that will complement the firewalls and other security software you have in place.
It’s important to obtain equipment for your company that not only makes sense for your business’s network needs but will also perform securely and with stability. Do your research, ask questions and work with an experienced IT advisor to make sure your equipment is up to the job and is a true fit for your technology plan.
2. Technology Plan Priority #2: Scalable Hardware and Software
Whether your company is just getting started or you’ve been in business for a while now, it’s important to invest in hardware and software that will scale with your business. To increase the longevity of your technology plan, opt for the solutions that can last for the long haul instead of quick fixes.
Where do you plan on being in three to five years? What are your growth goals? The answers to these questions can help to determine what kind of investment you need to make—whether it’s in accounting software, management software, workstations or your network infrastructure.
Even if you’re not sure how to answer these questions, having a scalable technology plan allows you to pivot to accommodate unplanned, future changes.
If you don’t think about scalability, your technology plan may be hit by growing pains just when your business begins to advance toward your goals, sending you back to square one.
You’ll have to reinvest in technology, and you’ll be spending far more than you needed to: once for the first investment (on non-scalable tech) and once for the second investment (to catch up with your growth).
3. Technology Plan Priority #3: Enhanced Cybersecurity Measures
Any company that uses the internet is at risk for a cyber-attack, so data security is no longer a luxury for modern organizations. Many small to mid-size businesses that think they are unattractive targets for cybercriminals are actually among the most common victims.
Businesses are prime targets for cybercriminals and recovering from an attack is much more difficult than preventing one in the first place. Taking a proactive approach to cybersecurity within your company’s technology plan can go a long way toward safeguarding your organization’s assets against damage or theft.
Any robust technology plan will invest in cybersecurity measures like:
- Next generation firewalls
- Malware protection
- Data encryption
- Data backups
- Password managers
- Anti-phishing software
- Multi-factor authentication
- Patch management
- Logging
Identify security solutions that are designed with today’s security requirements and reliability in mind but remember that threats are evolving constantly. You’ll want to reevaluate this particular section of your technology plan often so you can feel confident that your organization is protected against the latest trends in cybercrime.
Moving Forward With Your Business’s Technology Plan
While these three aspects are important priorities for a good technology plan, it’s important to note that they certainly aren’t the only ingredients for a successful operation. A solid technology plan will cover much more than the basics. To be truly effective, you’ll need to incorporate elements that meet your specific organization’s needs and protect against your unique vulnerabilities.
Remember, you don’t have to figure it all out by yourself.
Creating a thorough and effective technology plan is a big task, and you’ll likely have questions about what’s right for your specific business. It’s important to work with an experienced IT advisor who understands your organization and today’s technology environment.
Connect with a Warren Averett Technology Group advisor who can help you determine your current level of risk, and an action plan for enhancing the security around your infrastructure and software.
