Technology can sometimes feel like it comes at a high cost for your business. It may be helpful, though, to look at your technology expenditures as an investment instead. Setting up the right solutions now can pay dividends down the road when a disaster strikes or when your business needs to scale up. In today’s post, we’ll take a look at four reasons to take charge of your tech solutions instead of waiting for something bad to happen.
1. Invest in Modern Software and Hardware
While it isn’t necessarily the case that the newest is the best, software needs to be refreshed a certain amount. This is because unmaintained software is a massive vulnerability to anyone who runs it on their network. Older hardware is basically the same, since most networked devices have some kind of firmware that needs to be maintained and patched (in addition to the usual compatibility issues when you try to run new software on it). Besides, older hardware tends to use much more electricity to do the same operations as newer hardware.
If you have, for instance, servers running operating systems from 2011, the chances are high that there are known vulnerabilities that are simply not being updated. If you can’t update the software when new vulnerabilities are discovered, then you probably shouldn’t be relying on it. Investing in your hardware and software seems costly in comparison to doing nothing, but it doesn’t seem that costly compared to the fallout from a data breach or theft.
2. Invest in Modern Security
If up-to-date endpoint detection, firewalls, and other network defense infrastructure feel like a big expense, it may help to think of it the same way you think of your physical facilities. These systems do something like what your security cameras, alarms, and security doors do for your buildings. While they’re a bit more complex, you wouldn’t overlook these aspects of your company’s physical security. Thinking of these as proactive defense against malware and data theft more than justifies their cost.
3. Invest in Backup and Storage Infrastructure
Defending your network from intrusion is one kind of data security, but backups are another kind of security. In fact, many ransomware attacks are rendered irrelevant by having trusted, frequent backups of your company’s data. Typically, when we hear of a company that is contemplating paying a ransom for their own data, it’s because they don’t have an adequate plan for restoring their data from a backup.
You can work with Crown Computers to find the solution that is best for your specific use cases, be it using a cloud storage provider, building your own data center, or anything in between. Your specific costs will depend on what needs to be done, but having an adequate backup and storage solution now means being able to expand or migrate without a headache later.
4. Invest in Employee Productivity
One of the best ways that your technology budget helps your bottom line is by keeping employee productivity high. Of course, you need well managed solutions to maximize your employees’ hard work. Uptime is critical if your company has more people working from home, or if you use your network for collaboration and communication within your organization. Having unreliable systems makes it as if your whole team couldn’t make it to the office; it’s a huge drain on your business’ revenue. Having solutions tailored specifically to your company’s needs makes it possible for your employees to use their workstations and mobile devices uninterrupted, which generates the most value for your company.
-Written by Derek Jeppsen on Behalf of Sean Goss and Crown Computers Team