The lack of resources and money to hire experienced IT professionals limit the possibilities of growth and potential new businesses can achieve. Moreover, the lack of technical knowledge and skills to manage their own systems often leads to serious blunders down the road.
New tech rolls out every year with even greater innovation and creativity. However, the success or failure of the new tech tool is often determined by numerous factors. The tool can either help small businesses achieve unprecedented success or drive them under the ground.
The need to integrate relevant and new technology to stay competitive is a smart move, however, it can quickly turn disastrous as well. To help you avoid driving your business to the ground, we’ve listed down the most common technical blunders small businesses make.
But before you read ahead, make sure you have a strong internet connection to ensure your tech runs smoothly at all times. Spectrum bundles can deliver the fastest speeds at cutthroat prices.
Not setting a strict budget
The advancement of technology has enabled small businesses to create new products but it’s not always that easy. A limited budget leaves little room for creativity. However, if you know your budget, you can always manage product development within that much money, no matter how limited. If you are seriously considering a new product release, set a clear budget and create a product development plan. You might need to invest in new technology and software before product development. Having a clear idea of how much money you need, and where to get that money from is essential.
Multiple costs are associated with new investments – hardware, software, support, training, and installation.
Allowing unrestricted BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
One of the biggest tech blunders most startups make is allowing everyone to bring their own devices, and use their own laptops connected to an office network with zero controls. While everybody in young startups is tech-savvy, it’s still not a good enough reason to allow unrestricted BYOD. Big companies allow BYOD but with set rules and regulations in place.
It saves startups a lot of money when the staff is using their own equipment for work. But is it the right thing to do? Unrestricted access to personal devices means there’s no suitable encryption protecting data. There’s a lot of data at risk which puts the company in a tough spot in terms of legal compliance. Plus viruses on personal devices will always find ways to creep onto company systems via different applications and networks. Avoid cutting your costs by allowing unrestricted BYOD because the mistakes, errors, and glitches will cost you more than the equipment you could’ve bought your stuff.
Not taking data loss seriously
The importance of creating backups is undeniably important. Most people only realize the significance of backup after they have experienced huge data loss and faced the fallout. Data should always be backed up regularly. The only way technology can be effective and efficient is if it’s used properly by the system and team. Make sure there are multiple backups created manually and a backup reminder is given every week to the team/member responsible for doing so.
Prioritizing software over hardware
The world thrives on software. As long as you have the latest upgrade, you will get the newest programs and the best cutting-edge application, enough to let your new business run itself. But what people don’t tell you is that good software is useless until you have the right hardware to run it. Make sure you have invested in a solid hardware system that is up-to-date before you invest in software. While applications are great to have, you need to make sure your IT systems are updated and compatible with the software you run on them.
Not amping up security
Small businesses make the easiest targets for hackers because they lack the money and resources to implement a strong security system. The least every small business should do is install anti-virus software, firewall, and malware protection to reduce the risk of malware or hackers attacking their systems. As a small business, you can’t afford to expose yourself to hackers and malware. Ensure you have a strong IT infrastructure in place.
Moreover, invest in a trusted internet plan that delivers secured connections and fast speeds. AT&T bundles deliver secured fiber connections with 99% reliability, promising great value for money.
To Wrap It Up
If you want your business to succeed, prioritize your tech and avoid making these 5 blunders. Focus on improving security, prioritizing hardware, restricting BYOD, sticking to a budget, and taking data loss seriously, to grow and expand your small business successfully.
