Putting a freeze on spending makes saving on expenses a sure thing, right? Don’t bet on it. When it comes to technology, doing nothing can get pricey. Unless you are managing for change—anticipating the future and planning for new and updated software, systems and hardware—you’re on a tear toward a budget-blowing crash.
Do you know your budget to keep the necessary technology up and running? How’s that working for you? My opinion is it’s the word “necessary” that has many businesses overspending on the ever-increasing pileup of technology chores.
When’s the last time you sent your five-headed IT guy, aka Jack-of-all-trades, to a training class to learn about the latest technology? How sweaty and queasy do you feel when poor Jack has the flu and should really go home? And what about vacations? When Jack, so deserving of a break, finally takes one, do …
No time like the present to combine in-house IT with outsourced services Read More »
I’m willing to bet no one reading this blog is so focused on the future they’ve forgotten how tough the economy has been on business in the not-so-distant past. Four years ago a lot of previously healthy companies began downsizing in terms of people and production when it was the last thing they wanted to …
Everything’s changed—and that should go for your IT infrastructure Read More »
I don’t have to tell you why one person shouldn’t be solely responsible for processing the mail, handling the bookkeeping, signing checks and making deposits. Everyone knows the business risks inherent in solo access to critical information. However responsibilities are divided, we also rely on a documented system of checks and balances to maintain security …
What’s the bestselling car in the world? The Toyota Corolla— over 40 million sold through 2022, Best-selling passenger car worldwide in 2022. And it was the first car ever to achieve $30 million in sales. What’s so special about this less than spectacular, non-luxury, at best average ride? I have to believe its combination of …
Recently I met with a couple of IT company executives whose target clients happen to include medium-sized enterprises. I mentioned that they must be talking to a lot of CFIOs, but all I got back were two blank stares. It is a relatively uncommon title, but in a company with less than 250 employees, the …
Have you heard the one about the elephant? A guy walks by the circus where an elephant is tethered by a flimsy cord. He asks the elephant’s trainer, “How can you keep him tied up with that? He could snap that twine and walk away.” The trainer explains that the elephant has been tied by …
When an elephant should forget what he learned—and learn something new Read More »
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That’s a model every business follows now and then. That’s fine if whatever’s unbroken can’t be improved by “fixing.” But if that’s your model when it comes to technology, then you’re missing the boat—and a lot more.
Here’s your overarching IT challenge: handling today’s productivity issues—those things that have “emergency” red-lettered all over them—while proactively preparing for tomorrow. But unless you run IT like you run your accounting department, chances are your IT person is looking in the mirror to see if he sees what he thinks you see—five heads on a …