3 Signs Your Company’s Tech Infrastructure Needs Updating

Technology has become vital to staying competitive in today’s economy, but by the same token, outdated technology can hurt your business. Over nine out of ten consumers say they will stop patronizing a small business if they perceive the company as relying on old and outdated technology. Customers see outmoded technology as a sign that a company is incapable of providing secure transactions and satisfactory customer service.

Additionally, out-of-date tech can hurt your efficiency and cost you more in maintenance. Workers waste an average of over 500 hours a year on tasks that could be automated, costing their employers over $13,000 a year. To avoid wasting time and money and losing customers, it’s essential to keep your technology up-to-date. Here are four ways to tell if your tech infrastructure needs an upgrade.

Is Your Hardware More than 3 to 5 Years Old?

Is your company’s computer hardware over three to five years old? If so, you probably need to start thinking about investing in new equipment.  After three years, the cost of maintaining a computer begins to rise. At one time, experts recommended replacing PCs every four years, but technological improvements to computer equipment have now increased average lifespan to five to six years, says Intel CEO Brian Krzanich.

As for smartphones, manufacturers have traditionally encouraged users to upgrade every two years, but as the technology has matured, phones now can last longer. However, there is a good reason you might want to upgrade before that, which is security. As cyberthieves increasingly target smartphones, manufacturers are constantly adding improvements to harden security. For example, Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon processors incorporate an artificial intelligence platform that empowers smartphones to validate user identity through facial recognition, verify transactions through hardware-based tokenization and run on-device AI-automated malware detection.

Are You Using a Data Center Instead of a Cloud Infrastructure?

Are you paying for an on-premise data center infrastructure? If so, it may be time to upgrade to a cloud-based infrastructure service. Companies are migrating their infrastructure to the cloud because of the benefits a cloud infrastructure offers over the traditional data center. Lower capital expenses, lower operating costs for expenses such as tech support and lower indirect costs such as less wasted revenue from downtime all add up to make a compelling case for cloud adoption.

Some of today’s best infrastructure as a service providers include Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure, Rackspace Managed Cloud and DigitalOcean.

Are You Licensing On-premise Software Instead of Using Cloud-based Apps?

Are you paying for on-premise software licensing? If so, you might consider reviewing whether moving some of your software to cloud-based apps could save you money or increase your efficiency.

Doing an audit of your company’s software can help you identify applications you’re paying for that you aren’t using and help you determine whether moving some of your apps to the cloud could save you money. Functions that lend themselves well to cloud-based apps include business intelligence analysis and planning, accounting, office productivity suites, communication and collaboration tools, marketing and sales, customer service and security. PCMag provides a guide to today’s best cloud apps for SMBs.

Keeping up with technology is vital to keeping your business profitable. Review your hardware, infrastructure and software to make sure the solutions you’re currently using still make the most sense for your business.