Gear up to avoid downtime
As 2018 ends, businesses are looking to the future. Charts and graphs are being drawn to show growth and targets. But are you sure you can reach your goals with the current technology you have in place? The reason I ask is with 2.9% unemployment and a growing economy it is going to be tougher on businesses to get the same growth out of their resources. Trying to hire right now is a struggle and if you plan to grow you are going to have to ask your people to do more. But can they do more? Are the resources there to help them achieve the company’s goals? Bluntly, are you sending your staff out in the field with inadequate resources?
Now is a great time to reinvest in your business. By investing in newer, faster hardware and systems you will be able to extract more from your human capital. Nothing stifles growth like downtime that could have been avoided.
There is a lot of things that get over looked during the busy seasons. It is time to come back around and make improvements and fixes to start the new business year off right and keep the momentum going!
- Is it time for a new printer? Or maybe a second one? Has it been struggling to keep up with you? Are you blowing through toner and ink because you are so busy? New printers are faster and more efficient than old ones. Maybe a second printer is in your future, less time going back and forth across the office?
- How about the sales person(s) laptop? They have been complaining it won’t keep a charge. How old is it? If it is more than FIVE years old, it is time to retire it. It has served you well! A new laptop in the field will keep the sales flowing without the hassle for the sales staff and the will be more efficient. (not to mention everyone likes new shiny things- moral boost)
- How about the warehouse? Is shipping and receiving is using a hand me down from the front office? Maybe this year you do another swap and upgrade the front office with a new computer (think rotation) this way you don’t end up not being able to move your orders due to downtime.
- Did you upgrade you ISP service this year (internet line coming into the business)? Great, congratulations. Did you upgrade the router as well? This is a common mistake. Just because you have a faster line coming in doesn’t mean the router can handle that speed. In fact, if you have not replaced it in years it may have been the root cause of your slow-moving data in the first place. And with that, has the firmware been updated (think cyber security)?
- How about that phone system? Have you been thinking about a new VoIP phone system? New features in VoIP systems make doing business from anywhere a breeze! And the can save you money too!
If all of this seems to be a bit much for you, maybe you need to think about partnering with a Managed service provider (such as BITS) who can help you maintain your systems and keep you head of the game. A Managed service provider can provide you with on time and up to date service of your technology. They can help keep downtime to a minimum, keep track of aging equipment that might get over looked, alert you to problems that are coming and fix the ones that arise. All this while keeping your costs fixed and lower than if you were to do it on your own.
And since it is the holiday season and check out these great deals on new equipment!
PC upgrade. Great deal on PCs until December 31st. OptiPlex Windows 10 Pro, i5, 8G, SSD hard drive = $699 (no monitor is included). Monitor can be upgraded for $199
Printer upgrade for a small office – HP MFP Laser Jet = $209
Router upgrade = Edge lite = $189
Office 365 starting at $5 per month for an Essential license
