Feature
On track with technology
IT is the lifeblood of most businesses. The trouble is, it’s constantly changing. So, how do you make sure you’re up to date and making best use of the technology that’s out there?
G
lasgow-based experts Nick Cohen of Arrow Business Communications and Daniel Keegan of CommsFM give us the rundown on keeping
the IT for your business in good shape.
How often should you review your IT set-up? Nick: “In the past, a firm might be on a three, four or five-year hardware replacement cycle. Now, the process tends to be continuous. The service model prevails and companies opt for leasing or hiring rather than buying outright. A program like Microsoft’s Office 365 is the backbone of many companies’ email, file storage systems and so on. There’s a monthly fee that varies depending on the range of services you tap into. “Alternatively, some well-established firms might have a database application that’s the foundation of their operation. They could have legacy hardware they need to keep running because it is so important to the business. “However, every firm should be looking at what’s
Nick Cohen, Arrow Business Communications
here and what’s next. If you’re not doing it, you can be sure your competitors will be.”
Daniel: “There’s no best time to review your set-up as long as you do it regularly. Ideally, you should do it no less than annually. If you’ve got a good IT support partner make sure they’re part of your review. If anything’s changed in the business they’ll know whether there’s something on the market that’s more appropriate to your needs. “A lot of companies sweat their assets and stick with what they have. That might save money in the short term, but it means they miss out on tools that can increase productivity and potentially increase sales. It also means they compromise fundamental issues such as data security.”
What essentials do you need to consider? Nick: “The first thing we ask a company to do is step back and ask if it’s clear on where it’s going. Once that’s apparent it’s possible to line up the right partners and expertise. If, for example, you’re embarking on a new strategic plan that includes people working more flexibly, your IT must allow you to do that. We’ve worked with start-ups that have two people and grow to be 30 strong within a year or two. It’s important that options are scalable.”
Daniel: “The place to start is
connectivity. That applies even if you have a traditional set-up where everything is held in the office, or you’re using hosted services. Connectivity underpins the link to your hosted telephony, email, files and so on. “After connectivity look at your servers
if you have them. Are they hosted on site and are they backed up? Are you happy with the support you have on them? “Then look at users; staff. How do
they communicate with customers and the outside world? Are your business processes as efficient and effective as they could be? It’s best to do things department by department, since each will operate differently. “Consider devices too. You might save
money by only having desktop PCs, but when staff are snowed in at home you’ve lost a day’s productivity. If your people have laptops they can take home every day, you won’t have that problem.”
How do you keep track of the possibilities out there? Nick: “You can keep track through industry bodies. For example, the Law Society of Scotland regularly champions IT developments suitable for solicitors and legal firms. If you’re not tech savvy, industry groups and forums can help you see what peers are doing. Having the right partner is important. They need to be like-minded and it’s good if they’ve worked on challenges similar to yours.”
Daniel: “It’s hard to keep on top of things. You can consult websites and blogs, but ideally you want a partner who can keep you up-to-date. The key thing is that they work to understand your needs and don’t simply push the latest product.”
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