Proactive Network Planning
You started your business five years ago and it was just you and a few others at the beginning. Now, your business has grown to 10 times its size. You’ve added employees, increased sales, and have a bigger internet presence. Bookkeeping requires a lot more of your time. You’ve had to delegate some of the jobs you once did yourself. As a result, your IT requirements have changed as well. You might be struggling to keep up with them.
As a profitable business that hopes to remain that way, you need to plan for future IT requirements BEFORE office upgrades or other changes are finalized. In short, you need to stay one step ahead of the game in order to meet your changing IT needs. That requires either a top-notch IT staff or a relationship with a solid IT company that can look into the future and help you determine what will be required. That’s called “proactive network planning”.
The more detailed your plans for the future, the quicker and more efficiently you’ll be able to implement them. As you consider your future IT services and infrastructure needs, there are a number of things you should keep in mind as you practice proactive network planning.
Know that your current IT may become obsolete in the future
Technology develops at an astounding rate. That means the IT services and infrastructure you use now could be not-so-useful within just a short period of time.
That said, it’s essential to keep your systems up to date and to plan for upgrades in the future. Data shows that companies using outdated hardware, for example, suffer from lost productivity. This can cost a ton of money and certainly bring down profits.
As such, you should anticipate obsolescence. It’s inevitable that both the hardware and software that you’re using NOW will eventually become obsolete. Hardware will likely need upgrades multiple times. Your software may simply become ineffective or even unusable if its vendors no longer wish to support or update it.
Keep your eye on current IT trends for Proactive Network Planning
A big part of proactive network planning is following IT trends as they emerge. This will allow you to consider how they might be useable or applicable to your company or business model. By knowing what’s out there and following the results produced by these trends, you can decide what investments might be most beneficial for you.
Look into trends such as:
- Machine learning and artificial intelligence, are excellent tools for precision
- Virtual and augmented reality, are great tools to help retail businesses increase their sales and boost revenue
- Datafication can be used in human resources as well as customer-relations management. It uses data retrieved from the “tone” a person uses on social media or in emails or phone calls.
- Virtual desktop infrastructure creates a system in which a single massive computer supplies resources including drive space, memory, and processors to all linked machines. These can be desktops, laptops, and any kind of mobile device. Truly, any device with access to the internet can connect, which makes it ultra-efficient and convenient.
Think about consolidation
For many businesses, especially newer ones, IT systems may be varied and perhaps don’t work well together. Some pieces may even be redundant. That means you could be paying for things you’re not even using. You may even have two systems that are doing the same thing.
You might think about things like migrating your existing services to the cloud, which is not only cost-effective but also growth-proof, so to speak. It’s a logical next step during proactive network planning if you’re not already using the cloud.
By learning how you can streamline your current IT services and merge certain systems together, you’ll certainly see a downward change in your IT expenditures.
Ask for help with Proactive Network Planning
Proactive network planning is best done with the guidance of an IT individual or company that knows what’s out there and what’s likely to become available in the future. At Stillwater IT we can help you create a plan for future technology investments. This will not only assist in keeping your IT costs as low as possible but also help your business grow successfully.
Remember, putting a plan together now is a smart strategy. It will save you time and money as well as eliminate stress and frustration when your IT systems falter or become obsolete. Our experts at Stillwater are eager to show you how you can proceed now so that your IT future is as worry-free as possible in the future. Call us for a consultation at 604-899-1105.