No matter what type of business you run, and regardless of its size, it is bound to rely heavily on technology.
Everything from cash registers to web servers to lawn care equipment utilizes technology, and it can be easy to focus on certain aspects of business technology over others.
The problem with this myopic view is that it can potentially ignore problems until they get out of control.
For example, you may be so concerned about taking care of your business’ IT network that you ignore a printer that routinely malfunctions.
Then, one day, you or your employees need to print a massive amount of information for a big presentation, only to discover that the printer is dead and you’re out of luck.
Make a Checklist and Regularly Inspect It
As pointed out by the article, “Easier Than a Cat Selfie,” you can make headway in keeping with your business’ tech systems by regularly checking them based on a list.
In the past, technology was usually centered around on part of a business, but today, everything is connected.
As mentioned above, small problem that goes unaddressed can quickly become a major issue for your business, its partners, and its clients.
If you begin using a new piece of technology, whether hardware or software, be sure to add it to the list, and when checking your company’s technological assets, employ the help of professionals who deal with the specific technologies in order to receive accurate results.
Know Your Cloud Providers
Another consideration in valuing business technology is the cloud.
Right now, you or your business uses the cloud, even if you don’t directly realize it. Basically, cloud technology involves uploading, accessing, and/or downloading data from a remote server.
Google’s Drive is a perfect example of this, and companies like Amazon also offer cloud-based services to sell products.
Although cloud services are not new in nature, they are relatively new in name, meaning there are a lot of companies out there trying to get involved in providing cloud technology.
This can mean that your business gets involved with the wrong company.
In cases where a cloud-services provider is not able to correctly set up or maintain your cloud technology, your business may find that customer data is lost or damaged, and this can have a large impact on your bottom line.
In order to alleviate this problem; always perform due diligence prior to contracting with a service provider; always monitor technology usage on a regular basis to avoid problems.
Verifying how things are going now can potentially save your company lost revenue in the future.
About the Author: Andrew Rusnak is an author who writes on topics that include business development and business technology.