SMB Tech Mistakes - No IT Strategy

Failure to plan is planning to fail.

A 2009 Microsoft study found that 55% of small-to-medium-sized (SMB) businesses considered technology a critical component for growth. And that was back in 2009.

Many companies implement technology on an "as needed" basis. A new computer or software is purchased and installed because of some external need. The problem is this leads to a fragmentary approach to technology. It means you aren't examining how these new purchases can impact your business as a whole. This leads to all the problems associated with organic business growth.

A well developed IT plan will ensure that you are implementing the right technology to improve customer satisfaction and support emerging business needs. An IT plan can be based on certain business milestones:

• when we hit 10 employees, we add a network domain
• when the website has 100 customers, we'll add some interactive features
• when we generate $5 million in annual sales, we'll upgrade our accounting system

The milestones need to make sense for your business. Ideally you structure your IT strategy so you can afford each step when you need to take it.

Developing a tech strategy for your business is one of the keys to achieving long term success. If you don't define your goals, you will never reach them.

R-Squared Computing | Lou RG | Nearly Free IT | Firm Wisdom

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