Thriving businesses understand that weathering obstacles is the key to success, and overcoming numerous challenges posed by technology is no exception. Companies that can skillfully handle technical issues impacting their operations set themselves apart from their competition.
Irrespective of the size of your business, neglected IT issues can escalate much faster than most business owners anticipate. The rate of accelerated change in IT can be dumbfounding, and new threats and vulnerabilities compound themselves by the week. Organizations operating on thin budgets tend to back-burner their IT requirements, despite depending on the technology to advance their missions and sustain their margins.
Computer performance, software training, system maintenance, cybersecurity, and a range of nagging technical issues are among the most common IT problems businesses face. Some issues occur only irregularly, after implementing new technological solutions, for instance, while others can plague your employees day in and day out.
So, what is the most common IT challenges small businesses face in 2022? Let’s take a closer look below:
1. Data sprawl and lack of integration
Business intelligence software is a powerful tool, and the cost of ownership is still relatively inexpensive. For companies that want adaptable and scalable software solutions to improve business productivity, the bar for entry remains low. However, with so many services to choose from business owners often fall into a pattern of deploying multiple systems that aren’t easily integrated. Many industries simply lack an all-in-one software solution.
When you manage your operations through multiple software platforms, this leads to a convoluted workflow. This is referred to among IT professionals as data sprawl. Essentially, your employees start losing track of where valuable information is housed because they’re jumping from one system to another. As new and improved products enter the market, they usually fail to interface with the outmoded systems they are replacing or the applications you’ve installed on them.
Let’s assume, for example, that you’ve recently upgraded to the latest operating system. Any lack of compatibility resulting from the switch could mean that you lose access to the core applications and peripherals your business depends on for continuous operation. Lack of integration also translates to workplace inefficiencies because your staff must input data into multiple programs. Moreover, multiple systems require your employees to search for information in various locations. This, of course, causes unwanted headaches while unnecessarily costing your time. Sound planning coupled with well-strategized software solutions help to minimize these problems.
2. Information backup and disaster recovery
The incidence of natural disasters continues to rise, while events like power outages, server crashes, and accidentally deleted files are even more common. Data disasters that result in irrecoverable information loss can drastically impact your company’s ability to function. That’s why having the right backup solution and disaster recovery plan in place remain vital. Disasters events are as inevitable as they are unavoidable. You can count disasters impacting your systems at some point. Business owners must stay prepared to eliminate the downtime and expenses that usually go along with them.
Decide which data to backup
Your company undoubtedly handles a lot of data. Business departments often find themselves puzzled when it comes time to decide which information they should be backed up and for how long. Data backups aren’t exactly cheap. Upon determining which information to store, it’s important to identify your essential data first. In other words, what information do you need to quickly get your operations back online after a disaster? Remember, the quantity of data you back up and the speed required to access it are the two main factors establishing your costs.
Decide which data to backup
As more companies have recently adopted a remote workforce, it’s important to include a backup strategy that deals with remote workers. In many respects, data protection was a lot simpler when everyone was working under one roof. However, companies now deal with hundreds of home offices which makes business continuity a challenge. PCH Technologies can help you transfer all the data your telecommuting staff is handling into one shared place where your IT team can back it up. This is decidedly the safest approach to avoid data loss in the event of a disaster.
3. Poor strategic planning
Disjuncts between business departments and IT are not uncommon. Company leaders tend to focus on the bigger picture when it comes to developing growth strategies, leaving technology staff in the dark. Business and IT strategic plans should be adequately aligned so that technology won’t become an obstacle to profitable growth. Any significant plans to expand over the next few years must necessarily entail close collaboration with your trusted IT professionals to ensure your infrastructure and software solutions can accommodate long-term growth.
Solution: Outsource your IT with PCH Technologies
The best MSSP for small business, PCH Technologies has been successfully helping smaller to mid-sized companies on tight budgets relieve their overwhelmed IT departments through fully managed and co-managed partnerships. If optimizing your IT is a priority, call us at (856) 754-7500 now.