At Synlo, we’re on a mission to preach the religion of Right-IT with our customers, and we do this with a clear purpose. In our industry, “right” often translates to “what can I sell you.” As a result, businesses of all sizes often end up with technologies that are unsuitable, are overly complex, or are simply too costly.
The first step in getting to ‘right’ is to treat technology as a tool for your business, not an end in itself. Many service providers and vendors talk about understanding your business, but secretly believe that their technology is your business – it’s not. Every cent spent on IT is a cent not spent on your core business and people, so it’s crucial to spend wisely and with clear intent.
So, how does a business determine what “right” means for them? The truth is, the IT landscape is confusing, with a vast array of technologies and solutions for almost anything you can think of. For example, if you want to select a backup product for your IT environment, there are over 300 options available. So, where do you start?
A simple approach is to ask five questions before investing in technology or reviewing your current investments:
- Does my business need this?
- Is the investment better used elsewhere?
- Will this investment improve productivity, act as a force multiplier, or help build my business?
- Will this investment improve security and help keep my business safe?
- Is there an alternative using technology I already own?
At Synlo, as part of our managed IT service, we start with a Right-IT blueprint, which is an agreed snapshot of the right technology for your business. All our work is then aligned to achieving this outcome. As a result, we save our customers money, improve productivity, and work to enhance your business – not just sell you stuff. If your managed IT provider doesn’t do this, get them to start or come and talk to us.