2016 is going to be a year of change and growth for your organization. That said, you need to make sure you have the right resources, partners, budget and plan in place to make that growth plan a reality. When you look around at the technology structure in you organization, do you see innovation and proactive planning, or something else? Many of our clients that approach us looking to change their strategy are finding that being reactive is starting to cost them more in productivity and efficiency than its worth. But how do you get out of reactive IT and into a more proactive approach? Here are some reasons you may want consider a move away from reactive IT strategy in 2016:
- Consider the structure and relationship of your IT support.
You can’t be proactive about your technology unless you’re setup for it. The very essence of how your relationship with your IT provider is structured can create reactivity. Does your provider bill you by starting a clock every time you pick up the phone? (Making you far less eager to pick it up, and even less eager to work with them on projects.) You need to consider the difference between time and materials IT and having unlimited access to your support.
- Consider the impact of reactivity on your business.
When you’re reacting, you’re constantly chasing what should have been. Ben Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Taking steps to prevent issues before they happen means that you’re battling downtime, efficiency and unhappy employees far less than you might have with a more reactive approach. Waiting to call for help because you’re afraid of what the bill will look like makes things even worse.
- Consider how being proactive can change your company culture.
Proactive IT means that many day-to-day issues are completely eliminated. Most Managed Services providers take proactive IT so seriously that they guarantee 99% uptime. Comprehensive managed tools mean that any issues that do arise are dealt with quickly and often before the user even realizes there’s an issue. When your employees are not constantly frustrated with your technology, they’re more productive, happier and use your technology to innovate their workflows.
- Consider what else can change with a proactive IT strategy…
The possibilities are endless once you embrace proactive technology planning. From every level within your organization, executives to end users, to customers – you’re opening up opportunities for innovation and facilitation rather than handicapping and chasing fixes. It’s even more than not having issues – it’s planning for the future. A time and materials company is never going to help you plan proactively for growth and the future, since their bottom line is dependent upon you having issues. The entire structure is broken and truly inhibits your organization from reaching its goals.
I’ll say it again 2016 is poised to be your best year yet. When you’re at the end of the year next year, looking back – what will you regret? Will you be happy that you made the switch to a proactive approach, despite the increased investment? Or will you continue to wait, worry, turn over employees and inhibit your culture with reactive support and company technology that is, quite literally, a ticking time bomb? The choice is yours…
