Contributed post –
As the business grows and changes, it’s only natural that modern tech evolves to fill what gaps are needed. New hardware, software, networks, and the like will increase your tech scope. During that process, however, there are risks that you have to deal with. From how the team interacts with the tech to which tech you’re implementing in the first place, here are the risks you’re going to have to plan to deal with.
Security should be your number one concern
Whenever you add a new piece of technology to your IT scope, you are also adding a potential security vulnerability that opportunists may exploit. Aside from making the use of professional quality firewalls and anti-malware security software, it’s also important that your team knows to use tech in the safest way possible. Put together a strong digital security policy, including good password management, rules about not leaving logged-in terminals unmonitored, and awareness of phishing scams.
Introduce new IT with purpose
Whenever you bring a new piece of hardware or software to your digital scope, you also need to know why, precisely, you are doing it. For instance, when choosing new tech to incorporate across the whole team, you should make sure that it benefits as many members of that team as possible, rather than just a small group. To that end, you should consider working with partners such as Intouch IT. Tech consultants can help you look over all of your existing IT setups, and what gaps they leave behind, suggesting replacements that fill the gaps instead of creating new ones.
Make sure your team is on board
Simply introducing a new piece of software and expecting your team to get to grips with it is unrealistic. They are going to need some help adjusting. The bigger the change to their usual workflow, the more help they are likely to need. If you’re making the office much more tech-reliant, then you may even need to consider basic IT training for some of the team who are more used to working in the physical world. Otherwise, have some of your most tech-savvy employees get to grips with newly implemented IT, first. They can act as ambassadors that help others get used to new tools, too.
Keep an ear open for opinions
Believe it or not, not all of your team might be as enthusiastic as the tech that you’re introducing. Some might have trouble getting used to it, while others might find that it gets in the way of what they consider a more efficient process. Some people will always respond a little negatively to change, but that doesn’t mean you can just ignore them. Implementing feedback systems like Hive can help you better understand respond to what your team thinks.
With the tips above, you should be much more aware of some of the dangers that can come with the increasing reliance your team has on IT, and how to better manage it. This is a threat that will always need some attention for as long as you rely on your tech, so try to keep it all in mind.
