How to get the most out of technology in your business

By June 19, 2019Technology

The right technology can move your business forward – but it’s about more than just investing in the latest devices. To make sure you’re getting the most value out of any technology you bring in, you need to make sure that there’s a solid strategy in place around how to utilise it.

Here’s how to get the most out of technology in your small business.

Streamlining processes

Any investment you make in technology should be rooted in trying to drive more streamlined processes. It’s all well and good getting the latest devices, but if your processes are decidedly more traditional and paper-based, they run the risk of sitting unused. The technology you bring in should help to push your business forward and bring more value to your customers – whether it’s hardware or software.

 

Right device, right user

There’s little point splashing out on the latest all singing, all dancing high end devices if your team doesn’t need them. There’s also similarly little point in investing in an entire estate of new technology if it’s not up to the task that your staff needs it to be. To really make the most out of any technology investment, it needs to be backed by a solid strategy which helps you identify which roles need access to which tools. What software do they need to access? Does it need to be portable? Do they need to transition seamlessly between deskbased and remote? You should carefully consider what each user needs and how you can supply them with a suitable device – e.g. salespeople on the road are more likely to want a nice, sleek, highly portable mid-range laptop than a high-end hefty 17” device specced up to the eyeballs with graphics and processing power that they can barely fit in their boot. Getting the right device for the right user is a solid foundation to build the rest of your technology strategy on.

 

Achieving a balance

Once you’ve identified that you need to bring in some more end user devices – it’s time to ask the question – can your business’ infrastructure support them? If you’re growing rapidly, bringing in new team members and therefore more devices, you need to be sure that your server, storage and wireless infrastructure can adequately handle this influx. Sometimes, businesses find that end user challenges with technology can actually be helped or even solved by investing in infrastructure first – helping to build a solid foundation and saving time and money down the line when it’s time to upgrade end user devices.

 

Residual value in old equipment

If you’re at the point in your growth where you’re thinking about upgrading your technology, you’re highly likely to have some existing devices that got you up and running. Don’t discount the value that this equipment could hold – many of the best IT asset disposal providers will offer trade-in programmes or fair market rebates if you hand over your end-of-life kit. Disposing of your old equipment in this way also ensures that it’s securely disposed of. Much of the equipment will be data-bearing, and you’ll want to ensure this is handled correctly. A provider offering to recycle or accept your kit as a trade-in should offer secure data wiping – and if necessary physical data destruction – to ensure your confidential company data remains confidential, and that your organisation remains compliant with GDPR.

 

If you’re ready to upgrade the technology in your business, Freedom Tech can help. We can offer up to 20% off brand new Dell, HP and Lenovo devices when you trade-in your existing ones. What’s more, with our flexible leasing programme FlexIT 80,  you get your brand new devices now, without the need for an upfront investment, paying for them in manageable monthly instalments over a period of 3 years. If you’d like to find more, download our product sheet.

 

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Author Freedom Tech

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