When you look at the technology in your organization, does it seem like a well-oiled machine, or a series of band aids stitched together to keep things running? Most organizations are probably somewhere in-between with some things functioning well and others needing some help. Oftentimes, organizations started off small with technology and just bought what they needed, and as they grew they added or replaced things as needed. There was never really a big effort to put a plan into place because things seemed fine, or because it was overwhelming to plan for something that was under constant change.
The problem with the “as needed” approach is that it is more expensive than a strategic approach. Let me explain. With an “as needed” approach, someone in your organization spends time in figuring out solutions to problems, or you end up spending money you don’t need to fix a problem quickly. Take for example the accountant’s laptop. If the time hasn’t been take to consider the specifications of what her role needs, the plan for what happens if there’s a problem, and where all of her files are stored in case of hard drive failure, you could spend a lot of money coming up with a quick fix, or killing her productivity for days while you find the least expensive solution. Neither is a good option.
The strategic approach develops a plan for all of this so that if a problem occurs with her laptop, you know exactly the process to take and how to get her back up and running quickly, along with ensuring all of her files are protected. The strategic approach takes into account a variety of factors including hardware specs, network connectivity, file backup, age of machine, service contracts, temporary equipment, and much more.
The strategic approach does take more discipline and intentionality on the front-end. It also can be more expensive on the front end because it’s focused on getting the right solution in place rather than the least expensive solution or the fastest solution. A planned approach ultimately results in cost savings though because you only have to plan once and then just review the plan on a scheduled basis. You know what to spend and when to spend it. The solution is also designed to minimize downtime by replacing equipment before problems start to occur, saving the cost of paying someone to not work while their system down, and increasing employee morale knowing that their productivity needs are well-taken care of.
If you take this example and expand this to equipment for all of your employees, or look broader picture at things like your network, servers, internet service, and all of the other hardware and software all of your employees use, you can quickly find that the direct cost savings of taking an “as needed” approach are often more than offset by the expense of lost productivity and low employee morale from slow or poorly-functioning hardware or software systems.
At LeadershipOne Technologies, we firmly believe in the Strategic Approach to technology and can help you come up with that all-important plan. We work with each organization to develop a custom plan of action with technology because no two organizations are alike. Contact us today so we can help save you money and employee morale in the long term with a strategic solution!