Your business should be unique in some way. It’s what we call a competitive advantage. If there is no uniqueness, you compete on price, which means you better operate more efficiently than others! In either case, your technology strategy and systems should be 100% aligned with supporting your business needs.
Your technology should be standards-based and as simple as possible.
The complexity of your business does not mean your technology needs to mirror that. You can buy 80%+ of any application or workflow functionality you need in business today. There are very few (read: none) instances where you would need to build software from scratch to use in your business.
Three areas where businesses make things more complex than needed:
- Custom Excel or Access-based solutions that were developed years ago. These solutions are not easy to access remotely or share with others. There is a big opportunity here to simplify using Microsoft Power BI or other dashboard tools.
- VPN-based access to corporate data. Again, it is a legacy solution that needs to be revisited. Citrix ShareFile is a great replacement for those using a VPN to access corporate files remotely. An added bonus is that it’s more secure and mobile-friendly, increasing workforce productivity.
- Servers in general. You should embrace the mantra of “moving from servers to SERVICES” whenever possible. Analyze what your servers provide service-wise to your organization, and then look for services that can replace that functionality. It is more scalable, secure, and cost-effective than running a server in-house.
Complexity in technology is due to a lack of consistent review and strategy.
It’s much like all the “stuff” in your attic and basement. You don’t need it, but it’s there. Simplifying starts with returning to what your WORKFLOWS and basic business practices require. Then, using a blank slate, list what technology services and solutions you would implement to support them.
Once that step is complete, you take an inventory of all the technology systems and solutions you have in place today. Map those to the “new” services and solutions you came up with. There will be three outcomes to anything you are running today:
- One-to-one. Leave it alone, it’s working as expected
- One-to-nothing. Turn it off; it’s no longer needed or the right technology to support your business
- One-to-New. The workflow needs to be migrated to a new service or solution. This typically involves some data migration. Plan and execute.
The simple process of reviewing your business workflows first and then putting the technology in place to support it will deliver better results and a more productive workforce. At Stringfellow, we conduct this type of review annually for all Clients and then put it into practice utilizing our proven Intelligent Technology roadmaps.