We all grew up listening to the story of the tortoise and the hare, that teaches the valuable lesson that slow and steady will often win the race. But if this is taken too literally in the world of IT, you will quickly fall behind the competition and end up costing your business more in the long run.
Why is this the case?
The answer is simply that technology moves at a fast pace and if you wait to react to change rather than take a proactive approach, you will often spend more and be less productive than your competition. Over time, systems start to run slower, according to http://uk.businessinsider.com/why-your-computer-slows-down-2013-8 for example, due to reasons such as software upgrades taking up more system memory or greater demands because of business growth.
Taking a proactive stance with your IT strategy keeps your business ahead of the curve. By using proven technologies, you can increase your efficiency and streamline day to day operations leading to cost savings and smarter ways of working. Even a small shift in technology can have a drastic effect on your profits.
Tortoise or hare?
Imagine a long-established business that is ticking along with their old IT systems, using a traditional telephone system and an out of date server. Team members have difficulty accessing files quite often and have not been issued with mobile devices. With a limited IT budget, people take the problems and lack of up to date resources as par for the course, but when issues are raised, troubleshooting and fixing problems ends up taking a lot of time and money
A competitor of this firm is performing well and has invested in IT. They can work efficiently and proactively with a well planned strategy for upgrades. They have a new VOIP telephone system which lets them access calls wherever they may be and Office 365 makes their communications pretty seamless. A reputable International VoIP wholesale provider, provides them with 24 hour support. Files are quickly accessed and staff are very productive. An outsourced virtual team fix any problems that arise quickly and they have a fixed plan for IT spend, plus a good strategy for planning future requirements. If you need any help contact an IT Support Cheltenham company sourced on links such as reformit.co.uk/.
The analogy with the old fable is clear- is your business the hare or the tortoise?