STEPS FOR PROACTIVE TECHNOLOGY PLANNING FOR 2021

2020 has been quite a tumultuous year for many, and with it finally coming to a close, businesses are looking with hope towards 2021.

The new year holds promise on the horizon of things getting back to normal, even if that looks a little different than before the pandemic. To take full advantage of the coming year, you’ll want to ensure your business technology solutions are forward-thinking.

Is your Tennessee business ready to hit the ground running in 2021?

You can be by going through some proactive IT planning right now!

PLAN TO BE MORE PROFITABLE IN THE NEW YEAR

There are several elements that impact a small business technology plan, such as costs, trends, software lifecycles, workflow transitions, and more. By going through the steps below, you can be ready with a plan that can put your business ahead of the competition.

Small businesses that make smart use of technology have the following advantages over those that aren’t as digitally advanced:

• NEARLY 3X MORE LIKELY TO BE GROWING AND CREATING JOBS
• 2X MORE REVENUE EARNED PER EMPLOYEE
• 4X AS HIGH YEAR-OVER-YEAR REVENUE GROWTH

Take some time this January to go through the following steps to set your company up for success in 2021.

REVIEW BUSINESS CONTINUITY NEEDS

A majority of businesses were caught off guard when the pandemic lock-down orders were put in place at the beginning of 2020. This left them scrambling to put cloud systems in place to facilitate remote workers.

Those companies that were already prepared with a good business continuity plan fared much better and were able to more quickly transition, meaning less downtime and lost business as a result.

Review your IT infrastructure and any places where your business may be vulnerable in a crisis (flood, fire, pandemic, ransomware attack, etc.), and create a plan for quick disaster recovery.

DO A REVIEW OF YOUR CLOUD APP USE

Cloud application usage can quickly get out of hand at companies, causing them to operate less efficiently than they could.

Some of the problems with an inefficient use of the cloud include:

• PAYING TOO MUCH FOR SAAS SUBSCRIPTIONS
• USING DIFFERENT APPS THAT CAN DO THE SAME THINGS
• EMPLOYEES HAVING TO SWITCH BETWEEN TOO MANY APPS
• EMPLOYEES USING APPS WITHOUT PERMISSION (I.E. SHADOW IT)
• APPS NOT INTEGRATING, CAUSING THE NEED TO MANUALLY ENTER DATA

In 2019, cloud app spend was up by 50%, but SaaS app waste nearly doubled during the same time.

Do a full review of your company’s cloud app use and survey employees about the tools that are the most and least helpful. The goal is to streamline, so you’re using as few apps as needed for your workflows and ensuring all are well integrated to share data and automations.

REVIEW UPCOMING TRENDS

Companies that stay on top of upcoming technology advances stay ahead of the pack instead of trying to play catch-up. When you’re budgeting for technology expenditures for the new year, look at what potential technologies will be coming out and can improve productivity and efficiency.

Some of the trends to expect include:

• MORE ROLLOUT OF 5G DEVICES AND NETWORKS TO FINALLY BRING THE PROMISED LIGHTNING-FAST SPEEDS
• DEMOCRATIZATION OF EXPERTISE THANKS TO AI, MEANING YOU CAN BUILD APPS WITHOUT KNOWING CODE OR MANIPULATE AN IMAGE LIKE A PRO AT THE CLICK OF A BUTTON
• EDGE COMPUTING, WHICH IS MOVING VIRTUAL RESOURCES GEOGRAPHICALLY CLOSER TO IMPROVE SPEEDS

TRANSITIONAL WORKPLACE EVENTS – SUCH AS REMOTE TEAMS

One of the biggest transitional events that occurred in 2020 and that will continue to forever change the workplace is remote workers.

77% of surveyed businesses expect to have more employees permanently working from home 3+ days per week than prior to the pandemic.

Another transitional event of 2020 that impacts businesses is customer safety and the explosion of “contactless” forms of service and product delivery.

Look at how to position your company to be ahead by putting the frameworks in place now. Identify what you need to take advantage of efficient remote teams and to offer options that customers are looking for to feel comfortable doing business with you.

ANTICIPATE CYBERSECURITY NEEDS

Technology isn’t the only thing that evolves each year, cyberattacks do as well. Attack methods continue to get more sophisticated, using AI and machine learning to try to get past network defenses.

Look at the most popular types of attacks and the biggest vulnerability trends and budget your cybersecurity expenses in 2021 to address those. Look at things like credential security, endpoint device management, and cloud security customization.

GET HELP PREPARING YOUR BUSINESS FOR 2021!

Unbound Digital can help your Johnson City, Tennessee business look at your current technology and identify what can be enhanced to make you more profitable in the coming year.

Contact us today to schedule a consultation. Call 423-335-2461 or reach us online.