Featured article by Calvin Paige, Independent Technology Author
Your business has been doing well for a while; you and your staff know your roles and tasks, your sales team is hitting their targets, and your bottom line is looking great. All good things obviously, but don’t get too comfortable. Now is the time to look forward and start making some changes to your day that could ensure not only that your business remains on an even course, but that you move onto an entirely new level. Moving forward, growing, and expanding your work dealings makes economic sense, and it’s only moving your business to the next level that you and your staff can continue to thrive.
Location is as vital as ever
Your office space has done well for you. It’s in a key position, the rent is acceptable, and the local amenities are convenient for everyone in the building. However, you might have hired a few more staff since you moved in, or the internet package you have is due to expire soon, and some people have complained about the quality or any number of reasons why you might start to consider relocation. As with everything, your business premises can be a defining factor in the future success or failure of your ambitions, so making certain that your rent is the right level, your internet speeds aren’t being slowed down at key times, that the premises are acceptable for clients to see, needs to be taken into account and needs to be assessed on a regular basis.
Keep your Tech up to date
Your IT department is a vital element to your business, no matter the sector. You need to make sure that they are able to keep up with increasingly complex IT systems, all while making certain that security is maintained at all levels and that they are making the most of evolving technologies. It’s not a small task, and you may need to outsource areas in order to keep your in-house IT staff focused on the day-to-day priorities. IT strategies need constant development or they fall behind, and companies such as www.torix.co.uk recommend prioritizing your IT support, IT strategy development and IT security by implementing the help of an MSP (Managed Service Provider). By using outside services, you can take your business to the next level, growing its potential in the knowledge that your IT solutions are being well looked after.
BYOD?
The concept of BYOD (bring your own device) is a very simple one. Instead of spending a lot of money on tablets, laptops and mobile phones for your staff to use for work, they simply use their own. There are a number of advantages to this system, and its growth in popularity indicates that many organizations are benefitting from it. It means low costs for you, of course, and not just on the initial outlay, as staff will obviously need less training hours with new tech if they are already familiar with it. However, critics of BYOD say that it is simply moving the cost of staying up to date onto your employees, as they have to pay for the device, and it receives increased wear and tear. There may be issues with compatibility because your sales manager uses an iPhone and your head of marketing uses a Samsung. The biggest concern for you would have to be the security issues, but your IT department should be able to advise you on ways to counter this concern. Overall, BYOD offers both benefits and problems, and it will be up to you to consider which is best for your work environment.
No matter what you decide needs transforming, it’s always best to take the advice of professionals, and always remember to talk to your staff about ideas for growth. They may have suggestions of their own that you might not have considered, and they may help to persuade you on the issues you need to tackle first. Every company has a different culture and ambition, so it’s up to you to decide on the next steps you wish to take.
