Is your IT infrastructure working as well as it should be? When Networks Unlimited on boards new customers, we usually see a massive influx of help desk calls within the first few weeks of the client signing on. The help desk calls are the small nagging issues that haven’t been considered important enough to fix in the past but are slowing down work time for your employees. You might not even be aware that you are outgrowing your current system, but these five signs are good indicators that you might need to re-think your IT structure and future growth.
1. Your Company is Rapidly Growing
Growth is one of the most visible signs that you need to start thinking about technology in a more cohesive manner; when it’s no longer you and a couple of employees anymore. When you are onboarding new people, they don’t always know the technology protocols that seem “simple” to you. You need to write procedures, policies and have a system. You need to think about what technology you currently have and how it will work when you have 10, 20, or 50 employees. If you’re going to need something more in the future, you can start budgeting for that expenditure now. With the amount of reliance, we all have for technology, be sure to put a plan into your future expansion goals.
2. Complaints from Employees
You might not always get to hear the flat-out complaints, but an aversion to calling tech support, grumblings about slow computers, or slow moving programs are signs that you need to reconsider what you’re currently working with. These are the first warnings that employees are unable to be as productive as possible because they are limping along on equipment that isn’t working correctly. These problems can be as simple to fix as a good computer cleaning or updating programs, but it could be more serious, like purchasing new components or replacing the equipment altogether. Take these grumblings seriously, and see what is going on before the technology just dies.
3. A Work Process Takes Longer Than It Should
It’s human nature to adopt certain things as the “right” process. Whether processes are learned behaviors from predecessors, or quirks inherited when something doesn’t work quite right. These extra steps can increase the amount of time it takes someone to complete a task (and add unknown annoyances). As stated above, employees get used to limping along on equipment that isn’t working quite right, and they create a process to get around it to complete their jobs. When you’re spending more time on the workarounds and less time on the actual work, it might be a chance to start looking at how to solve these inefficiencies with updated programs, software, or equipment.
4. Users looking for outside applications
This one isn’t always a bad thing. It is great when something new is put on the market that will make your life so much easier! It becomes less significant if you have a lot of your employees using programs that you never thought you needed and aren’t tracking. This is a red flag that you might need to invest some time or money in trying to figure out the BEST software required for each of your employees. Managing employee software will also help you keep programs updated and organized.
5. The Mobile Future
How often do you utilize your cell phone, tablet, or another device when you aren’t on your computer? If you’re doing it, most likely, your employees are doing it too. Figure out ahead of time what you want your mobile policy to be and how encouraging the use of these devices can be incorporated into your IT plan. Should you be moving your systems to Microsoft Office 365, instead of buying programs one at a time? Will the use of mobile devices hurt the integrity of your infrastructure and security? Get ahead of this trend in your company before it becomes a problem.
Whether you ‘re just starting out, going through a boom, or are a large, established business, Networks Unlimited can help you in every phase of your business. We have different options for every turn your business takes to help will alleviate these major problems. Call our knowledgeable team today to see what we can do to help you plan for your IT future! (970) 243-3311 / [email protected].