Hard to believe that the calendar now reads 2022. It’s been a long couple of years for many small and medium sized businesses, both startups and well-established organizations. Add to that the major technology advances and chances are your workplace technology may already be outdated. With the turning of the calendar, however, comes a chance at a fresh start. This new beginning should include a close look at your office technology and software and how outdated it may be. In fact, many IT experts believe that if your tech and software is on the older side that it may be time to upgrade before the outdated tech costs your business more than you would imagine. Older devices and software can cause slowdowns, a decrease in efficiency and production and potentially security vulnerabilities that could be taken advantage of by cyber criminals. Let’s take a closer look at what the impact may be if your tech is antiquated.
Problems Associated With Outdated Equipment
The ultimate mission of a business may be hampered by obsolete technology. It’s hard to attract more clients if your software is clunky or hard to navigate. It’s difficult to instill trust if your security measures are falling behind. And, it’s really hard to be productive when the technology is not up to par.
Security Vulnerabilities
One of the biggest threats to organizations currently are cyber attacks that could compromise data and harm their reputation. Obsolete software and older equipment tends to not have the most up-to-date security patches and updates. Newer tech can give a little bit of peace of mind to businesses and customers that data will be protected.
Inefficiencies
It’s hard to get the competitive edge over other businesses in your field with older tech that may have maintenance issues, work slower or not provide the most modern features as newer equipment. Things to also consider include how fast the software runs on your devices and how long it takes to get certain high priority tasks completed. The question to ask really is, “Is your tech slowing you down or holding you back?”
Signs Your Tech Is Aging
As an IT manager or even an office manager, you may be looking for telltale signs that your tech is on the older side. Here are a few things to look for as you evaluate your business software and equipment.
Loading Speed - Slow speeds can be an indication that you either need new hardware, new software (or applications), a faster internet connection, or all three.
Security Issues - Are you constantly adding patches or having to update your software? It may be time to install new software that has all the modern security resources.
Crashing, Freezing, or Locking Up - They sound like the apocalypse but really it may be easily solved by upgrading your tech.
Do you need help evaluating whether your organization needs newer software or replacement devices/tech? Talk to our team today about how we can help you in that process.
