How much does your company invest in its technology? If the answer to that question is very little, you’ll often come across two types of people in your company. You’ll find people with a proactive attitude wanting to stay on top of trends and employ the latest tech. Or you’ll discover individuals who only consider the upgrade if the technology is on the verge of being broken.
Whatever your opinion is on technology, you’ll find that it ages alongside you. There is an ongoing need to regularly update and upgrade technology, to allow your business to survive in this day and age. The last thing you want is for your company to be seen as outdated and for your processes and capabilities to lag behind competitors.
We get it when it comes down to investing in a new piece of equipment, the high price can be quite intimidating, which is why it’s essential to know when and why you should make that decision to update your companies technology.
To aid your decision, we’ve come up with 5 reasons to consider a change.
5 key indicators you should update
We wouldn’t be able to run our businesses efficiently, without the best technology. However, if the technology is slow, you need to look beyond its surface to know why you should update.
Reduced workplace performance
One of the warning signs to look for in your workplace is slow performance. Over time, if not updated the technology can falter and run at an incredibly slow speed. As a result, when it comes to installing new software or hardware, you may find your employee’s morale decreases. A survey was conducted with 917 employed people asked about their opinions on office technology.
The results of this survey showed that outdated technology affected 93% of the worker’s satisfaction and caused 1 in 3 to think about changing jobs. Therefore, as an employer, you may want to look out for slow systems if you don’t want decreased performance in your business and the risk of losing talent.
Increased workplace costs
If you have outdated technology, it can become quite expensive to maintain. There will be many times where you’ll find that hiring someone to come and repair it, can outweigh the cost of a new system altogether.
Irritated employees
Most of the time, employees want to turn up to the office and do their job without any hassle. However, if there is the slightest trouble from an outdated system such as an update or it buffering, it can discourage them and reduce their productivity.
One easy sign to identify this is if employees complain about their technology frustrations or seeking out shortcuts to get their job done. A report run by Galle’s state of the American workplace, indicates that using updated technology in work can increase productivity by 20%.
Your IT systems can’t keep up with change
Technology is supposed to be a piece of equipment that silently contributes to your companies efficiency. If you come across technology that stops you from being responsive to new opportunities or requests for your company, it could be a sign that it is time for change.
Potential security threats
The older your technology gets, the more security threats there is to your company. This is because the technology becomes common, and hackers are experienced in knowing ways to infiltrate and access the software. One way to identify this is detecting if your software has become susceptible to being able to update. If your company deals with a lot of personal data, you must catch this threat early on.
Questions to help you consider when to update
If you’re still not convinced of when to update, you should ask yourself the following questions:
- Do your employees feel restricted using your IT services?
- Does your technology comply with the latest industry standards?
- What technology are your competitors using?
- Do its manufacturers support the technology?
- Are you able to install the latest security for your software?
If your answers to these questions are complicated, or there are no clear answers, it could be a sign it is time to change your tech.
When should you invest in new technology?
Deciding on the right time to invest in new technology can be a tricky task. Ultimately, you’ll want to look for the top and latest trends in your industry. Upon doing so, review the trends and see if they align with your needs, business goals, and your customers.
To do this effectively, plan and save money ahead of the time for a change. This way, the expensive change won’t be a financial burden for your business, and it’ll be easier for you to implement.
Moreover, investing in new technology allows you to increase your business growth and increase your business’s competitive side. You must choose the right software and manage the risks of using a specific technology. One way of effectively doing this is by reviewing your workplace goals and needs, then selecting the technology to invest in accordingly.
Computers in the City, your IT partner
Computers in the City is London’s longest-standing IT partner. With over 20 years’ experience, we can assist you to meet your IT support, consulting and cloud computing needs. We’re proud to be local, offering 24-hour support in straightforward language that takes the stress out of IT support.