As technology advances, businesses feel the pressure to invest in new office tech to stay competitive. There are many benefits of keeping up with the latest trends in technology, including:
- Enhanced cybersecurity
- Optimized network performance
- Streamlined workflows
- Improved user experience
Yet, whether businesses actually are innovating to keep pace with new technology is another story. Business operations are demanding, and amongst all their other priorities, technology upgrades often fall to the back burner.
If you're looking to get a pulse on what others are doing, here are some insights into the areas of technology businesses are investing in, foregoing, or overlooking.
Are Businesses Innovating?
According to Impact, most businesses implement new technology only once per year. On top of that, only about 50% of surveyed businesses said they were very comfortable with adopting new technology. The rest either responded somewhat comfortable (~31%), neutral (~14%), somewhat uncomfortable (~3%) or very uncomfortable (~2%).
The results of this survey reflect an overall hesitance to innovate and adopt new technology. This can have a variety of causes. To read more about the benefits of innovating with the help of a managed IT team, read our blog: How Outsourced IT Services for Small Businesses Are a Secret Weapon For Success
What Stops Businesses from Embracing New Technology?
There are many barriers to technology integration and innovation. One of the largest hurdles is cost. Many businesses struggle to budget for technology, and as a result, miss out on emerging technologies that could help their business thrive.
Budgeting doesn't have to be a headache, and there are many ways to get the most out of advanced technology in a cost-effective way. Technology roadmaps are great tools for managing your IT strategy since they can outline costs long-term, taking into account things like:
- Device lifecycles and replacement plans
- Controlling cash flow month-to-month
- Long-term IT project plans
- Regular cybersecurity updates (i.e. software patches)
Another hurdle is a lack of time or resources to learn how to use new technology. This creates a knowledge gap that prevents employees and leaders alike from embracing technology to its fullest potential.
You can mitigate this by ensuring your team is caught up to speed and properly trained on new hardware or software. This can help users become more comfortable with new systems while allowing them to get the most out of your investment.
The Technology Adoption Lifecycle
The speed at which your business adopts technology is dependent on many factors. The Technology Adoption Lifecycle is a good litmus test to determine how to support your staff in learning and adapting to new technology.
First developed in the 1960s, The Technology Lifecycle outlines five types of technology consumers: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. Typically, this model is used to analyze consumer markets and understand buyer behavior. However, it is also helpful in understanding how much support your business will need to adopt new technology.
You can roughly identify where your staff lies on this bell curve scale by analyzing their work styles and attitudes toward learning new tools. By estimating where each of them falls on the Technology Lifecycle, you can better support them in technology adoption.
For example, innovators tend to need the least persuasion to try new technology, as they are often the first ones on top of emerging trends and cutting-edge tools. In contrast, late majority adopters and laggards are the last to adopt new technology. They also tend to be the most resistant to change. These individuals may need extra support if you choose to introduce new technology.
What Should an Organization Do to Adopt New Technologies?
The first steps in tech adoption should include proper implementation, configuration, and training. Through these steps, you can prevent downtime and frustration by setting your business up for success.
Implementation/Integration
A major hurdle for many businesses in getting the most out of their technology is proper integration with other tools and processes. If you don't know how to connect the dots between software or hardware, you're bound to run into technical issues and slowdowns.
If you're considering adding new technology to your tech stack, it may be wise to consult a company that specializes in IT support for small businesses. This way, you'll have a team of subject matter experts to assist you in making your tools work together seamlessly.
Proper Configuration
Along with integrations, configuration is very important for seamless technology adoption. When devices and tools are configured incorrectly, your business may be at risk for cyber-attacks and other issues.
Misconfiguration is one of the most common and preventable causes of network downtime and loss of productivity. To maximize performance, find a reputable managed service provider (MSP) to help you configure any new hardware or software.
User Training
New systems or tools such as cloud technology for small businesses can have a bit of a learning curve. That's why user training is crucial in facilitating the seamless adoption of technology.
If your users know where to find features and perform tasks, they can more easily do their jobs and reduce downtime from knowledge gaps. To learn some of the causes and consequences of downtime, read our article: The Hidden Costs of Faulty IT Infrastructure
How to Prepare for the Future of IT
To read about some of the other IT trends making waves to be aware of, read our blog: Top 7 IT & Cybersecurity Trends to Watch For.
Web-based small business technologies can level up your game in areas like cloud file management or business communications, and technology providers can be a great resource in your journey. If you're ready to explore the possibilities for optimizing and securing your IT environment, click the button below to get in touch with an expert.
