Out-of-date IT services hold your business back. As a modern business operating in a digitally driven economy, you will need up-to-date systems to operate at peak efficiency.
If you haven't upgraded your IT services in a few years, you are likely not on par with the rest of the businesses within your niche.
Not to worry, though. Here's what you can do to upgrade your IT systems and improve your business's performance.
1. Start with a New IT Strategy
Since you haven't upgraded your IT services in some time, start by gathering what needs to be upgraded. You'll want to determine who you can trust with the upgrades, if you have trusted IT technicians on board, identify which systems need to be upgraded, and consider how these upgrades will give your business an edge.
Before you get the ball rolling, ensure the entire strategy is outlined. Note that a proper system will include a breakdown of the costs, risks, and action plans.
Related Article: How Can I Afford Managed IT Services?
2. Focus on Eliminating Possible IT Blockages
As you embark on upgrading your IT services, you want to focus on eliminating bottlenecks. The first step towards this endeavor is to explore some barriers your business might face regarding growth, efficiency, and delivery.
Be on the lookout for immediate problems that an IT services upgrade can solve and address them first.
It is prudent to mention that you want to avoid implementing unnecessary upgrades, as they will only end up disrupting your business and increasing the costs.
3. Use a Phased Upgraded Technology Plan
As you upgrade your IT systems, it's best to do so in phases. You want to avoid embarking on any upgrades haphazardly. Further, you want to ensure that the new IT services upgrades have proper justifications.
Be sure to measure and test performance parameters that matter most to you regarding IT systems. These might include speed, efficiency, cost, and complexity. If the new IT systems meet your expectations, you can then format the current system.
Overall, this is the best way to upgrade your IT system; this way, you pose less risk to your business operations and data. The consequence is more significant savings in time and testing of the systems.
Look at it this way: you get live field performance results without needing to halt essential business functions.
4. Progressive Deployment is Critical
At this point in the upgrade process, you are likely well-versed in the benefits of upgrading your IT systems. You might be tempted to jump right in and roll out all these upgrades.
However, this is not the right way to go about it. It would be wise to deploy the upgrades progressively, one system at a time.
Pacing the upgrades poses less risk and allows you to continue with normal business operations as you gradually integrate the upgrades. Besides, by progressively deploying the IT system upgrades, you can spread the cost over time, making what would otherwise be expensive upgrades somewhat attainable and cost-effective.
Engage with Your Employee Pool and Culture
As highlighted, you have had your current IT systems for a few years now. Changing this system abruptly without proper engagement with your employee pool and culture could be detrimental and possibly cause perturbations in current work systems.
The thing is, you can not look at an IT systems upgrade as a matter of changing technology. This is because said technologies cannot sustain themselves and need your employees to accept and embrace them.
It would be best to engage the employee pool to ensure that the IT system you want to upgrade aligns with the company's culture. You want to start by pointing out the new habits your employees will need to adapt to keep pace with the IT system upgrades.
It is essential to remember that technological architecture evolution will often involve a cultural shift that requires upgraded structures and competencies. Both represent significant stumbling blocks that you must address before updating your IT systems.
You want to encourage the different departments and employees to play a more active role in the update efforts. You want to ensure that your employees feel like they are part of the process.
The Final Say: Upgrading Your IT Services Through Outsourcing
Love or loathe it, outsourcing your IT services is the best way to keep them up-to-date. You will essentially pass non-core duties to an external specialist, which is more cost-effective and ensures more efficient workflows.
In doing so, you will take advantage of broader Internet access and technological advancements.
As for why you should consider outsourcing the IT services upgrade, upgrading can be pretty sensitive, especially if the goal is to increase your operational efficiency. When you outsource this function, you get to utilize the skills of highly skilled technicians.
The latter can better point out any areas that require your attention. Besides, they save you the headache of going through the upgrades to find what could have been done better. Overall, partnering with a managed IT services provider can help alleviate some of the stress associated with system upgrades.
Outsourcing your IT services to upgrade legacy systems is a sure way to redefine your IT function. Once you outsource these services, you are sure that your IT will be dynamically managed and that each component of the IT system is effectively managed. Overall, you get better security, increased efficiency, and reduced costs.
At AIS, we work with you to ensure you can afford managed IT services. We go beyond just being an office technology company. Our experts stay up-to-date on the best way to support your business, employees, and customers. We step in even when you have legacy systems, ensuring that you operate at the same level as companies with updated systems. Reach out to us today and let's discuss what your business's IT systems need. We’re here to give you peace of mind to help you win more business.
