6 Signs It’s Time to Update Your IT infrastructure
No business wants to stagnate. But treat your IT infrastructure like an afterthought and you could be severely limiting your company’s potential. Let aging systems continue operating as is, and they could quickly turn into a business liability.
Yet there are real barriers that prevent businesses from investing in their IT infrastructure, including: time, lack of know-how, resistance to change and cost to name a few. But despite these challenges, most businesses recognize the need to stay on the cutting edge. Is your current infrastructure scalable, flexible and agile enough to keep you competitive? These six issues signal an IT infrastructure update is definitely on the horizon.
1. Sub-optimal workflows and processes
Outdated IT often means you’re working within the constraints of the platform, rather than best practice. It also means you likely aren’t performing at your industry benchmark and missing out on new opportunities for growth.
2. Missed opportunities
Cloud and big data offer huge opportunities to businesses, and organizations capitalizing on them have an advantage over their competitors. As you forgo these advancements, what results is segregated systems and departments
3. Siloed systems and departments
Legacy systems are ill-equipped to facilitate collaboration. Lack of communication results quickly in falling productivity
4. Flatlining productivity
Falling short of deadlines? Projects running late? You might be spending more time fixing software and developing workarounds than actually working which also compromises your ability to respond to change in real time.
5. Inability to respond in real-time
Change is the only constant, and legacy systems restrict how quickly you and your business can adapt. If you’re unable to meet market trends, you’ll quickly see plummeting sales figures.
6. Nonexistent or actively falling sales
If your business doesn’t look like it’s meeting the same need as your competitors, their bottom line will benefit.
Just like your employees, your IT infrastructure is a growing, changing system, one that must be actively assessed again and again. As your network traffic increases, user needs change, data volumes grow, or stakeholder expectations shift, your IT systems must follow suit. If you’re still having a hard time justifying the cost of updating your IT infrastructure, remember there’s often even bigger costs – and substantial risk – associated with preserving the status quo. Concentrate on the updates that help your business expand, and you can easily justify the initial expense, no matter how many zeros there are on the invoice.
