As any entrepreneur knows that choosing the right technology for your company can be difficult. When deciding on what technology to invest or upgrade – where should you start? How often do businesses upgrade their tech? What will happen when your equipment reaches the end of its lifespan? What if it no longer functions as efficiently because it has been outdated by newer models?
Nowadays, we have a wide variety of technological solutions that can help companies succeed. However, most may be quite challenging when there is a need for improvement and one doesn’t know in which direction they should go. Many companies choose the wrong solutions for their problems, while others are afraid of changes in the structure and thus are unable to progress. Today we will give you an overview of some of the problems companies face, how they can be solved efficiently and how to deal with them.
Old technology can hold your business back, so it’s time for an upgrade! For example, if you’re still using physical files or printed materials as opposed to online access on a networked device then it may cost you more in terms of both power and space use. Newer technologies offer great benefits: by digitizing all paper-related processes including customer lists, you can streamline operations while boosting productivity too – who wouldn’t want it? We often stay close to what we know. When running a business, the legacy stack can affect it. What are the possible consequences?
Consequences of outdated hardware and software
Staying with what we know significantly affects the level of data security. By not investing in new technologies, we expose the company to attacks by hackers or damage from malware.
Slow applications and hardware will delay employees’ work and this can also lead to frustration and a drop in mood, so even less productivity and higher employee turnover. We worked with a client who had very slow systems. In this case, we improved their operations, and tasks that used to take half a day now take a few minutes or are fully automated.
New technology may require better hardware
Sometimes old machines won’t be able to handle what’s currently coming out, so you won’t have the ability to follow best business practices and perform better in the market. Dealing with customers will be very problematic and will affect the growth of your business. Of course, an upgrade doesn’t always mean replacing absolutely everything.
We faced a problem like this with one of our clients. The company’s web solution had an extremely high technical debt, which made it difficult to develop new features or update existing ones without affecting other parts of the project. Why it is like this? They used outdated toolsets and technologies that didn’t match what we needed for this particular client’s needs.
We performed an audit on their codebase so as not only to evaluate crucial pieces but also to provide solutions tailored specifically towards making development faster while preserving quality standards throughout every stage. In the end, the systems have been integrated and the company can continue to rely on the stack it has. You can read more about it here.Â
Not losing customers will be impossible without changes. Competitors who have upgraded their systems and equipment will have an advantage and they will be the ones to gain customers and take over yours because you can’t provide what they can. Sticking with the legacy stack is a gift for the competition. When employees spend too much time on highly operational tasks, they can’t take a broader view of their work. With the saved time, the company will be able to focus on improving more strategic areas, such as customer service and market research, and create solutions tailored to market requirements.
Find out more about process automation.Â
What do companies have to deal with? What technological challenges and problems do we face on a daily basis? The most common are:
Lack of system availability
Temporary or long-term system unavailability is sometimes common and can significantly affect productivity and contact with customers. Outdated technology contributes greatly to this condition. If this occurs repeatedly, it’s a sign that it’s time to modernize your technologies.
Technological compatibility
Systems and equipment must be improved as they evolve, but what you already have will no longer be compatible with what’s new at some point. That’s why the best solution is to upgrade regularly and make sure that everything works together. Proper infrastructure planning and a broader view will allow for good planning of necessary upgrades. This is where a good IT partner can help, but how do you choose the right one?
Find out what to consider when choosing a vendor by reading our interview with the expert, John Treadway, the owner and the CEO of SquadGurus.
Company’s security
Cyber security will gain even more importance. Hackers are getting smarter and using better and better tools to make their actions effective. Technologies that don’t have updates and improvements become defective. The flaws they have can no longer be eliminated. That’s why it’s so important to replace outdated technology with a new and more secure option.
It is essential to define the company’s goals, requirements, and needs. What 3 key factors should we consider when thinking about a company’s technical environment? Let’s take a look at them:
Accessibility and visibility – evaluate the goals and needs of your company
The way in which your back-end systems sync or connect with the devices used inside and outside of four walls can have a significant impact on how well you run day-to-day operations.
If employees of today can’t get their work done due to a lack of technology, how will they complete tasks or assist customers? The world is going digital and fast-paced. The need for reliable connections between people with data has never been greater than it currently stands, yet this seems like an issue that many organizations struggle mightily with. We had the same problem but with jumping between sites and apps for specific tasks or making sprints. It really takes out the precious time you could use for something different.
To ensure you’re getting the most out of your technology, it’s important that all members of staff are in-tune with one another and their surrounding environment. When signals get crossed or insight goes unnoticed you lose your time. Your team needs access to devices/technologies which provide them full business visibility so they can stay connected while also being able to keep up with everything in one place.
Accessibility is essential to the success of any business. Without it, everything from customer engagement to employee productivity rates would suffer greatly in many cases, If you don’t operate remotely, you should know that accessibility still needs to be at a good level, so that all your tools work together seamlessly.
Total Cost of Ownership – trying to save money on upgrades
Any technological improvement is an investment. However, keep in mind that cutting costs on implementation can generate even higher costs than the initial ones. Trying to save money on new technologies or equipment can affect the company more in the future, so it’s worth thinking about and analyzing every decision more than just once.
Choose to work in the cloud
The solution can often be a software migration or migration to the cloud. We already wrote about the cloud computing in business that Microsoft offers through Azure. You can easily check it out on our blog: How to get the best out of Azure for your business?Â
It offers many potential benefits for the company – reduced costs, increased operational flexibility, or improved processes. There are many different cloud service models – tailored to different business profiles – there is a suitable option for everyone.
What else can you gain by opting for the cloud? You can increase accessibility for e-commerce or better plan your enterprise resources. Thus, you will get an access to files from anywhere and whenever you want – you can also share them without any problems. Consequently, cooperation between departments and employees will be better and much easier. You can adjust permissions, and constantly control access to information and its overall flow. What are the other advantages and disadvantages of operating on the cloud?
See our case study about migrating applications to the cloud.
Flexibility – the ever-changing market and customers’ expectations
Customer expectations are constantly changing and growing. A company should be trying to meet them and to do so, it must have the proper technology and sometimes equipment. Coming up to the competitors in an ever-changing environment may be hard, however, the new solutions help you respond more easily to changes and adapt faster.
Technology has improved communication at the company-client level, as well as increased productivity and much more. The technological world is full of various benefits, but in order to take advantage of them, one must overcome some obstacles first.
Software and hardware evaluation
Anything old and outdated will result in wasted time and money. If your productivity is decreasing, it’s time to replace your hardware, as well as update your software and business applications.
In a world where technology is constantly evolving, it’s more important than ever to keep up with the latest trends and technologies. If you’re using outdated tools and systems, it will be harder to provide a high level of service to your clients. They may not be able to understand what you’re trying to communicate, or you may not be able to meet their needs effectively. This can lead to frustration on both sides and can ultimately damage your relationship with your clients.
Learn how investing in good UI improves customer and employee experience.Â
By ensuring that you’re using the latest tools and technologies, you can avoid these problems and provide a better service experience for your clients. In addition, keeping up with the latest trends will also help you to identify new opportunities for your business. By staying on the first plan, you can ensure that your business is always growing and evolving. For example, one of our clients needed a solution where data from SAP ERP is easily accessible and understandable. See how we dealt with this case, by reading one of our case studies.
Safety above all
As we have already mentioned, security is a crucial thing. Currently, according to the survey published by security firm Morphisecone, one in five companies experience the negative effects of cyber-attacks – so every company should take care of security first. There are many different types of software that can assist you in these activities. Many companies neglect security aspects until they experience an attack – then it’s too late because, without the right steps, a lot of important company data can be lost forever.
See the example of cloud implementation: E-commerce online store adapted to the hottest season
Improve internal communications
Traditional instant messaging and mail are generally not well adapted to modern methods, technology, and equipment. Bulkiness and lack of flexibility will hinder virtual collaboration between employees. Consider introducing a solution like Slack, Bitrix, or Teams.
The market is constantly changing and competition is increasing. Investing in the right technology and equipment will help you succeed and attract new customers. Before you take any steps, think about every decision several times, ask the experts what they think about it, and as soon as you are ready, start working. It’s about time! Of course, any project of this kind needs to be evaluated to get a clear picture of where there you should make improvements.
Get in touch with us to discuss your case! Our specialists will choose the ideal solution for you and your company, fully tailored to the needs of your business.
After carefully evaluating suppliers, we decided to try a new approach and start working with a near-shore software house. Cooperation with Hicron Software House was something different, and it turned out to be a great success that brought added value to our company.
With HICRON’s creative ideas and fresh perspective, we reached a new level of our core platform and achieved our business goals.
Many thanks for what you did so far; we are looking forward to more in future!
Hicron is a partner who has provided excellent software development services. Their talented software engineers have a strong focus on collaboration and quality. They have helped us in achieving our goals across our cloud platforms at a good pace, without compromising on the quality of our services. Our partnership is professional and solution-focused!
The IT system supporting the work of retail outlets is the foundation of our business. The ability to optimize and adapt it to the needs of all entities in the PSA Group is of strategic importance and we consider it a step into the future. This project is a huge challenge: not only for us in terms of organization, but also for our partners – including Hicron – in terms of adapting the system to the needs and business models of PSA. Cooperation with Hicron consultants, taking into account their competences in the field of programming and processes specific to the automotive sector, gave us many reasons to be satisfied.
