Technology companies are slowly recovering from the impact of the pandemic and starting to re-emerge after extensive rearrangement of their operations. The market is expected to reach $211.14 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 5.5%. Even as restrictive containment measures are lifted, companies had to change or at least re-orient their infrastructure entirely in order to address operational challenges and support the necessities of remote work that is likely to stay in force for a long while. Many companies have already embarked on multi-year modernization efforts thanks to the push towards remote work.
IT projects have become a top priority at most organizations and have attracted budget increases to keep pace with the modernization efforts. Recent estimates suggest that IT projects may have become the top driver of budget increases (49%) in 2022. In hardware, companies are expected to focus most on investments in laptops (19% of hardware budgets) followed by desktop (14%). Server spending will take away nearly 11% of hardware budgets, but here allocations have actually reduced, as most companies focus on shifting workloads away to the cloud from on premise data centers. Managing technology with security and compliance requirements can be a daunting task for SMBs, but businesses can find help atIT Support Atlanta.
Why SMBs Need The Tech Advantage
Technology Can Help You Grow Your Business
It is not more or less a proven fact that technology-enabled businesses have comparatively shorter growth cycles. With the right infrastructure and technical tools in place from the get go, these companies have a significant advantage and can grow their business at a rate that simply cannot be matched by their peers. Enabled by the right technology hardware, software and support systems, these companies can leverage the mobile workforce more easily, ensure productivity through time tracking and run their organisation with better networking.
Technology Lets You Maintain Your Competitive Edge
It’s no longer enough for businesses to simply carve out their competitive niche. In order to maintain it over the long term, companies need to stay agile, make better decisions informed by data, and always stay a step ahead. The only way to do this is for companies to invest in better tech services in order to leverage their data better, process data faster and get actionable insights into their business, consumers and the industry.
Technology Enables Better Customer Service
Customer service is no longer just a part of your business. Exceeding customer expectations every time needs to become a habit if companies want to earn brand loyalty in a fiercely competitive market. Companies need to invest in having intuitive technical processes at every step of the customer journey – whether it be recurring payment software for seamless transactions, or robust CRM systems for personalized customer interactions. This will also help businesses retain current customers better and ensure customer delight at every interaction.
4 Critical Technology Solutions Every Small Business Owner Needs to Know
Invest in Building a Website That Is Adaptable to Any Screen Size and Resolution
Customers have all gone mobile. And it is time for businesses to serve their needs seamlessly on each of the devices that they choose to use. This means investing in responsive web development that enables companies to build websites that are adaptable to any mobile use case (different screen sizes and resolutions). The essential element in building such websites is to simplify the design, change certain essential elements and prioritize content. Customers no longer have the patience to scroll, pinch and zoom through poorly coded/ designed websites on super-fast mobile devices. Companies must keep in mind that mobile browsing has become the gold standard as customers remain glued to their smartphones and tablets. In order to find and attract customers where they are, it is imperative for companies to invest in websites that deliver equally well on all mobile devices. This simple measure is so effective that it could very well impact growth rate.
Go Cloud-First
Adopting a cloud first environment in business can help significantly reduce upfront costs in deploying and maintaining infrastructure. Depending on the managed cloud service chosen, businesses could even replace the entire in-house IT department and also save significantly on human resources. Close services are highly customizable and fairly inexpensive that allows companies to keep IT costs predictable and reinvest those resources towards faster growth and innovation. It also allows the entire infrastructure to be more agile, adaptive, and responsive. Critical files and documents can all be accessed remotely. Employees can work from anywhere as the cloud lends itself perfectly to remote work, collaborate better and ultimately, boost productivity. For effective cloud security solutions, please consultManaged IT Services NJ.
Switch to VoIP Business Phone Systems
If your business isn’t using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) already, you could see significant benefits in your overall communication capabilities by switching. Apart from the obvious toll-free voice calling and call forwarding features, VoIP can be directly integrated with all your cloud services for enhanced monitoring of calls and data usage. Businesses could even choose to use it as an automated help desk, for enhanced agility and customer responsiveness.
Better Security
Cyber security is a growing concern for businesses of all sizes. SMBs are particularly vulnerable to security breaches, as they do not have the deep pockets of larger organizations and often consider themselves both technically and economically deficient to keep up with intensifying security and regulatory demands. However, many SMBs can significantly improve on their security stance just by taking a few basic steps. For companies struggling with security, it may be a good idea to get on board a reputed managed services security provider instead of investing in premium online security software and network security staff from scratch. For physical security, companies should look into installing smart surveillance equipment.
Chris Forte is the President and CEO of Olmec Systems, which provides specialized managedIT support New Jersey, NY & GA area. Chris has been in the MSP work-space for the past 25 years. He earned his Master’s Degree from West Virginia University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. In his spare time, Chris enjoys traveling with his family. Stay connected viaLinkedIn.
