Four tech upgrades that your business needs

Everybody knows that it’s important for all businesses to invest in the right technology but a lot of businesses are not very good and maintaining it and updating it. Technology moves fast and things become obsolete very quickly. New versions of business software are being released all of the time so if you’re using the same software that you purchased five years ago, you’re falling behind.

Your competitors will be using the latest tech and that means that they can offer a better service than you can, so you need to catch up. If you have neglected your business tech for a while, you need to make these important upgrades. 

Replace outdated hardware 

Buying new computers for the office is a big expense, so naturally, most businesses try to avoid it for as long as possible. But computers only have a lifespan of around four or five years before they start to slow down. While you might think that you’re saving money by clinging on to computers that are nearly a decade old, you aren’t.

It’s not just about upgrading to the sleekest new tech and upgrading the nuts and bolts (literally!) but it’s about upgrading the hardware to be more innovative, smaller and more space friendly. It’s also about cyber security. If you don't effectively update your hardware, you’re going to struggle to keep up with the competition.

Slow computers seriously affect productivity and make it incredibly hard for your employees to work effectively. They’re also more prone to problems, which means that you’re spending more money on IT support to keep them up and running. Your employees will thank you if you just replace them with some new ones and you’ll find that productivity shoots up. 

Update your operating system 

A lot of companies also hold on to their old operating system for far too long. They get used to using it and as long as their employees can get their work done, they don’t want to spend the money on updating it. The problem is, using an old operating seriously limits you. Eventually, new software and applications will stop supporting the old operating system and will only run on the latest version. That means that you can’t use the latest versions of software that all of your competitors are using, and that gives them an edge.

If you’re using an old version of Windows, you need to consider how your business could benefit by upgrading to Windows 10 and whether it’s worth the investment or not. In most cases, you’ll find that it is worth the investment because you can run better business software. Tech support is also an issue because, while they will still offer support on old operating systems for a while, they will eventually drop it. That makes it a lot harder for you to resolve any issues that you might have. 

Upgrade business software 

Now that you have a new operating system that can support it, you should consider upgrading to the latest versions of all of your essential business software. There’s a reason that new versions are released most years, it’s because they have improved features that can make your business more efficient.

You’re not saving money by sticking to the older versions of software because you aren’t benefiting from new features. These new features could help to improve productivity and cut costs, so even though you have to cover the initial investment, you will be saving money overall. 

Data management tools 

Your business collects a huge amount of data from your customers and if you use it correctly, it can help to improve your marketing campaigns and generate more leads. The problem is, a lot of businesses don’t really know how to manage and use that data effectively, so they don’t see the benefits.

There is also a security issue there because you hold a lot of sensitive information, like personal details and credit card information, on your customers. You have a responsibility to protect that data and if you don’t, you open yourself up to cyber-attacks. The fallout from an online attack is devastating for a business because you will lose the trust of your customers and it’s incredibly hard to win them back. 

That’s why it’s important to invest in data management tools so you can organise all of the customer data you collect and produce reports that your marketing team can actually understand and use to their advantage. You also need to put some money into the right security software to protect all of the customer data that you hold. If you don’t invest enough money in data management, you’re missing a golden marketing opportunity and putting yourself at risk of cyber-attacks. 

A lot of business owners think that they’re saving money by avoiding these tech upgrades but that isn’t true. A bit of investment now will save you money and boost profits in the future.