The constant evolution of technology presents businesses of all types and sizes with tremendous opportunities — as well as tremendous risks.
The right solutions can help you increase productivity, efficiency and maybe even your sales. The wrong ones, however, can create frustration among employees, have a negative impact on the customer experience and even cost you more money.
And trying to figure out which solutions are which might be the most nerve-wracking part of it all. Are you really supposed to keep up with the ever-changing ins and outs of technology while you’re trying to focus on your business?
We don’t think so. What you should be doing, though, is keeping some big-picture things in mind. First, ask the following questions when you’re considering new technology for your business. Then, get in touch with Hyde Group for expert guidance, personal service and honest, straightforward advice.
- What’s your current tech situation? Some businesses have never really taken a holistic look at their technology. Many have systems that were pieced together over the years, with different departments using different solutions — and nobody truly understanding how everything fits together. A great way to start building that understanding is asking stakeholders to communicate their needs and share how they access data.
- Do you really need something new, or are you just caught up in the hype? We see this a lot — people want the “hot” new thing, even when it might not mesh well with their existing environment. That’s why not selling a solution is sometimes the most valuable thing we can do for a client. Do you need to move to the cloud? Maybe, maybe not. But the best future-state technology plans aren’t based on what other companies are doing; they’re built around what your organization needs in order to thrive.
- Are you thinking about tomorrow as much as today? The right technology is a long-term investment. It might not provide you with immediate cost savings, but over time, it can more than pay for itself by increasing your agility and scalability, which will strengthen your entire business. And while paying for quality is always a sound decision (in technology and anything else), it’s important to understand where it makes sense to spend more, and where it’s OK to spend less.
- Is your business prepared to implement that new technology? We don’t necessarily mean this from a technical standpoint, although that’s important. But you’d be surprised how many companies purchase a shiny new tech solution, only to have it fail because they didn’t properly train employees or help users adapt to the new environment. And sometimes, thanks to poor requirements gathering, organizations end up with systems that don’t even meet their actual needs. At that point, it doesn’t matter how good the technology is.
- Who can you trust? Technology decisions typically include a number of different factors, such as total cost of ownership, return on investment, general capabilities, support, integration and more. If you’re getting your information only from the technology providers and vendors themselves, keep in mind that their job is to sell you something — so they may play up the best-case scenarios instead of the typical client experience. The stakes are high here, and objectivity is critical; it’s a good idea to seek out at least one unaffiliated resource that will provide unbiased advice.
When you’re ready to drill down and get that advice, contact Hyde Group at info@hydegrouponline.com or fill out this form. We’ll start by asking some questions of our own to learn about your business, your specific needs and your goals.
Whether you want to explore cloud migration, software-defined networking, datacenter options or enhanced mobile solutions, we’ll do more than offer expert advice — we’ll become your trusted technology advocate.