The acquisition and use of technology is key to starting and building a successful business. Technology has become embedded within the modern business and allows information to be collected and updated throughout the business process and across the globe with employees, vendors, and clients. In addition to this, companies are digitizing their legacy data and collecting large volumes of new data to aid decision-making from data analytics. To get the most out of your technology investment, it’s important to have a technology plan.
Four key pillars of your technology foundation are hardware, software, networking, and security. Whether you’re starting a new business or growing a mature business, it’s critical to have a plan to:
As a comparison, when a manufacturing company makes an investment in a new machine, they have done the analysis and believe that the financial benefit of this investment will payoff over time. Based on what I’ve noted above, there are some key differences between this investment and a typical technology investment:
Four key pillars of your technology foundation are hardware, software, networking, and security. Whether you’re starting a new business or growing a mature business, it’s critical to have a plan to:
- Acquire this technology
- Train your staff on implementing and using the technology
- Have a support plan to maintain it in good working order
- Decommission it when it’s reached the end of its useful life
As a comparison, when a manufacturing company makes an investment in a new machine, they have done the analysis and believe that the financial benefit of this investment will payoff over time. Based on what I’ve noted above, there are some key differences between this investment and a typical technology investment:
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- Acquisition – the manufacturing company has several staff within the company whose background and knowledge can provide valuable input for acquiring the new machine. When it comes to acquiring technology, if you don’t have technology staff or a trusted partner to aid in the decision-making process, you are relying on the promises of a vendor or experience of an existing client.
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- Training – the manufacturing company is used to training their staff on the use of machines and the staff have a general understanding of machines in the factory. Too often new technology is dropped on someone’s desk or a new hire to the company is given a crash course by an existing employee with the expectation that they will get the most out of the technology.
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- Support – manufacturing companies have maintenance staff and external vendors to maintain their machines and often predictable maintenance windows to keep their machines in good working order. For technology, determine your support plan up front so your staff know where to go when there is an issue and to ensure that your technology is kept current.
- Decommissioning – the manufacturing company has an estimate of how long they expect to use the machine and when it reaches the end of its useful life there is a plan to decommission the machine and safely dispose of it. Likewise, you should have a similar plan in place for your technology. Older technology can perform poorly, and vendors will cease to support it eventually. From the time you acquire a piece of technology, think of how long you intend to keep it before you decommission it from your environment.