IT is often seen as something that just costs money you’d rather be spending elsewhere. But for the vast majority of businesses, it’s actually an essential tool that can mean the difference between failure and success.

There are still many businesses that treat IT as an expense; scrimped on and ignored until it falls apart and production grinds to a halt. Most workplaces are totally lost without fully functioning technology so why leave it until something drastic happens? There is also the consideration of using technology to help grow your business.

As an IT professional who works with businesses every day, this is something I’m very passionate about. Only last week I had a conversation with a business owner who told me that IT is a major cost to his business that he wanted to cut down on. When I asked him what he would do if his computer died, the internet connection went down, or his company’s data became infected with ransomware, not to mention how his competitors may be leveraging technology to become more efficient etc..guess what- he couldn’t answer me!.

But, it won’t happen to us

In terms of security, it always baffles me that so many business owners gamble with their critical data, refusing to invest in security measures because they assume hackers won’t target them. But here’s the thing about hackers. The vast majority of them have no interest whatsoever in your data. What they do care about is how much it means to you, and what you’d be prepared to do to save it.

By not protecting your data, you’re making it easy for them to hold it to ransom. How much money would your business lose when affected by downtime just because you wanted to save a small amount of money, also, how would your customers feel if they found out you weren’t closely guarding all their confidential information?

It happens all the time to small businesses, and cyber criminals just love to prey on those who take the “it won’t happen to us” approach. You wouldn’t drive around without car insurance just because you think you’re a safe driver! and with the GDPR approaching, now’s really not the time to be taking risks with personal data

Leveraging Technology

For most knowledge workers, technology is the most significant point of leverage in the business. Recognising IT as the investment it is- rather than an expense- helps get the most leverage possible.

The right investments in technology will help your business not only save time and money but it’s also been proven time and time again that workers are happier and more productive when they’re able to do their jobs.

It’s important to think of where your business is in 5 year’s time rather than focusing on where it is today and invest in technology accordingly.

What are your business goals? If they include higher productivity, increased efficiency and saving money, we should talk. Great IT is an investment in your company’s future, not something that should be weighing you down.

To learn more about how we can help your company leverage IT to stay productive, keep your people happy and actually save money, just get in touch by giving us a call on 0121 296 2500 or fill in our form to request a free strategic IT assessment.