Preparing your IT for a New Year

With a new year comes the opportunity to reassess your organization and the way you do business. It’s a chance to ask yourself, “What can be done better? How can we improve?” Now is the perfect time to take a look at your IT and ensure that 2016 is your best year yet. Here are 5 New Year’s “resolutions” to help get started on the right foot in 2016.

1. Budget
If you spent a lot of time working on your budget in December, it’s time to put those funds to work. According to CIO Magazine, the average IT budget for small businesses is between 4 and 6 percent of the overall budget annually. When your IT isn’t working efficiently, chances are your staff isn’t either. 

2. Security Health Check
How secure is your network? Staying secure doesn’t just mean locking the doors when you leave. There are constant threats like malware and ransomware can easily hold your network hostage. All it takes is one misguided click.  

3. Implement Managed Services There are many benefits to outsourcing IT. Even if you have an internal IT employee and you’re not outsourcing your IT, it might be time to think about it. First, consider the fact you can set fixed and controlled cost. Managed services are much more than that! When IT is outsourced, you’re free to spend more time focusing on the other needs of your organization. You also open your up to certified technicians and engineers to assist with any IT related issues that your organization may have. 

4. Disaster Recovery Disaster Recovery falls under the same theme as security. If something does happen, you need to have a backup plan in place to recover your information from. This usually means an offsite backup location, hosting a replicated copy of your information. If you already have a backup in place, make sure it’s tested and verified. 

5. Process Automation  
Your should be working for you, not against you. If the programs you use every day require work-arounds to function properly, your software is working against you. Don’t let the work-arounds become the norm. Improving and streamlining your business processes will increase your profit and maximize your efficiency, but don’t let upgrading overwhelm you. You don’t have to break the bank to improve the quality and consistency of your business processes. Set realistic expectations, upgrade the biggest trouble areas first.