IT is meant to help us do more. Computers can do complex things at the press of a button, often things that would take us hours, days, weeks, months or even years on paper. But in a small business, a bad IT setup often slows things down.
Even worse than IT that slows you down, is IT that makes you vulnerable. We trust computers with so much sensitive and personal data, yet security (like backup) is often an afterthought – something business owners only consider when it’s too late.
Do more, with confidence
Imagine how much more you could achieve if your business was more efficient, and your data was safe. You either invest in your IT, or you lose the money you don’t invest through unnecessary costs and missed business opportunities.
If something takes longer than it could it costs you more in wages, expenses and overheads; you can also do less business in the same time so if customers don’t go to another more efficient supplier who did invest and can deliver sooner (and probably cheaper), you’re losing money through doing less business than you could be.
And whatever you do, do it securely. At best, a security breach costs you in time and money while your systems and data are restored, on the other end of the scale your business either dies a sudden or slow and painful death – if the breach itself doesn’t kill your business, your damaged reputation probably will.
Information Technology (IT) vs Information Systems (IS)
I’ve referred to IT throughout this article due to its widespread use and understanding, but IT is actually the design, implementation, support, maintenance and management of hardware, software, databases, and networks. IT is the technology part of IS which also covers the people and processes – analysing a business’ needs and getting the right systems in place can yield far better results than just optimising the technology alone, but sorting the IT is a good place to start and could produce a big enough return on investment quicker to enable you to reinvest in your systems which is typically a longer term, more expensive, continuous but lucrative undertaking.