Is Your Business Missing Out Because of Ineffective IT Planning?
Asserting that IT is at the heart of any business in contemporary times is an obvious statement. But is making it a reality equally obvious? Apparently not. A lot of businesses are missing their goals because of ineffective IT planning.
At NECL, our history of IT support for London based businesses has recorded great efforts in IT planning among the business we have supported but also noticeable mistakes that compromise overall business efficiency. What is odd and encouraging at the same time is that these mistakes can easily be avoided or remedied with a little more attentiveness and the right professional support.
Needless to say, NECL is highly proficient in giving you the necessary support when you do your IT planning. But most of these mistakes can be easily evaded. Here are the 7 most common mistakes that businesses make in IT planning.
Mistake #1: Having an Unreliable IT Connection
It is not exaggerated to say that IT is the air that a business breathes. Keeping records, controlling employee or client access to business premises, making financial transactions, and all forms of communication are among the crucial business activities that rely on a sound IT connection. When doing IT planning for your business, therefore, it is crucial to assess your IT needs with precision and match the need with fitting IT connection. That equates to consistent connectivity and overall business success.
Mistake #2: Replacing Professional Technical Support with Unprofessional DIY
Whether you decide to hire an in-house IT support personnel or pay a professional from a reliable company, getting the right technical support is important. A lot of business owners and their employees try to resolve their IT issues from a trial and error approach or believe what they know is sufficient.
Handling IT issues with inadequate knowledge and skills can be detrimental to your system and cause your business to make losses rather than meet the set profit goals. Planning for professional technical support is paramount.
Mistake #3: Subscribing for Inappropriate Data Packages
A lot of services in most business today rely on internet connectivity. If that is not reliable, it implies that work stalls altogether. Effective planning means evaluating your business’ data consumption and subscribing for a package that allows your business to run smoothly. Overestimating should likewise be avoided because it means paying for more than what you need; a superfluous expenditure.
Mistake #4: Unreliable Backup Storage
In an IT era, almost every business relies on computers and computer-aided technology for data storage. But computer hard drive failure is not a rare occurrence, which offers the possibility of data loss. Data loss may also come with theft or fire disasters. Backing up data outside the business premise is every business’ salvation when disaster strikes.
A copy or two on hard drives outside the premise is a safety measure. But cloud storage is the ultimate solution for data storage. It is safe, stores large amounts of data, and allows access from any place and among multiple users. When planning, cross out any suggestions pro-on-site data backups.
Mistake #5: Underrating Poor IT Skills Among Employees
It is not rare for a business to call for professional support for a problem that could easily be solved if employees had adequate IT skills and knowledge. Thinking that living in an IT era means widespread IT knowledge and skills is a huge presumption. In deduction, IT planning should include training for employees even when they present certified IT knowledge.
Besides, most businesses may use specific programs that employees may not be conversant with. Lack of knowledge may at times mean calling for unnecessary professional help.
Mistake #6: Exposure to Threats
Threats to your business IT can be many. It might mean a power spike or surge that causes irrevocable or expensive damage to your system or exposure to hackers and malware. Whichever be the case, planning should foresee these threats and budget for power guards for your technology and install reliable malware protection software. It is also important to apply anti-hacker measures such as using updated programs and avoiding open-access internet sources.
Mistake #7: Planning Piecemeal
Planning implies foresight. If you do not have a data backup or an alternative power source when there are blackouts, you are exposing your business to unnecessary losses. Business efficiency implies anticipating IT challenges and putting preventive and corrective measures in place. Reacting to problems when they occur is equivalent to not planning.
In Summary
Even with IT, the famous planning slogan is true – not planning is planning to fail.
Need help with your IT planning strategy? Talk to a friendly, knowledgeable IT Consultant at NECL today. Click here to contact us or to request a call back.
