Technology and Business

Anthony Baker-Smith

Published Feb 24, 2019

Every time new technology comes out, multiple companies rejoice in the belief that it will revolutionize the way their company does business. To be fair, there is some merit in situations where companies are making huge jumps in advancement. For most however, it is like getting the latest smart phone. Yes, the new phone might have a few new updates but the old phone worked just as well. Smart phone from flip phone changes the way someone might interact with the world. Now comes the question of, “Fine Anthony! If technology does not change business, what does?” People. So simple and people are the ones that can utilize the new technology at peak potential. In our standard practice of list creating, you saw it coming! Here are 3 guidelines for deciding if new technology is needed or not.

1. Current technology review – Does the current technology get the job done in a reasonable time? Reasonable time is time in which the employee does not notice much of a difference between their device and the office device. My best example of this is the difference of me working on computers running XP when windows 10 was out. Yes I have seen this at a company. Even in something like construction. Engineers exist that are still using software from 2000. The year is 2019. In their case however, the old software still works well and does not have much lag. If most of the complaints you receive from your employees are technology related, it might be time.

2. Employee review – Check to make sure you have the right employees. Are most of the individuals on the team producers? Will technology actually help them increase the amount of work getting done? Quite the serious question compared to the technology ones above. I am not saying to fire the whole team and expect the new people to be better. What I am saying is, new technology avoids answering the actual problem; who is running the tech?

3. What technology to buy, if needed – With so many options, the task of choosing seems almost impossible. Some advice on this is to hire someone that goes through your company and buys based on your needs. Individuals that are actually good at this can be hard to find so review as well as you can to see who has helped other companies in your situation. Pay attention to your employees as well. They are on the front lines and will have knowledge of the struggles faced daily. They might not be the one to complete the opinion but they should have a voice in the matter.

These 3 guidelines and/or steps are needed in order to make a proper decision in terms of technology. Review current technology to see how far your company is behind. Some more insight here. Some of the largest financial companies in the world use 40 to 50 year old technology for storing data. Do not worry if your computers are 2 years old. Review employees. Make sure those individuals are the right people to utilize the technology that you are considering to buy. Third and quite difficult step, find what the correct technology that your company needs. Most sales individuals will sell you a product whether it helps you or not. Be vigilant and good luck!