Issue link: http://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/938775
There is a better way. SisAdmin can change the way you view your business technology. sisadmin.com 10 Assess the age of your equipment by comparing the purchase date to the end-of-life date for the manufacturer and warranty expiration date. Outdated equipment is a main cause of IT instability. 9 Evaluate your line of business applications to determine if they're still the right fit. Evaluate your most critical business processes and procedures and compare them against the features and usability of your business IT applications. If you hear yourself saying "We've always done it this way," you may be operating with an unnecessarily complex mix of ideas or processes that are no longer relevant to your business. 8 Is your technology keeping up? Most companies should not operate on the bleeding edge of technology (let someone else do the beta testing), but you should keep up with tech that enables your company to perform more effectively and e§ciently. This includes keeping business applications up to date with the latest patches and upgrades, as well as adding, removing, or replacing applications as needed. 7 How are you going to stay informed about emerging technology? If you have in-house or outsourced IT personnel, they are your technical innovators and should be tasked with keeping you informed. 6 Find out what your top three to five security risks are. Everyone has them. What are yours and are you willing to assume those risks? You will be hearing more about cybersecurity in 2018. It doesn't apply only to big business anymore—small to medium business are not immune, so pay attention. You will need an expert to help find your security holes and decide what to do about them. If the changes are big, consider closing one each quarter. If they are small, get them DONE and identify your next three to five risks. Remember: continuous small changes usually outweigh one big push. 5 Vendor review. The end of the year is always a good time to review your vendors for the following: • When does the current contract renew? Does it auto renew? • Verify with your staff that they are still using the product or service. If so, are you still using the level of product or service you are paying for? Can you reduce your cost or contractual commitment to them? • Consult your vendors to find out if they have new, better, faster, or less expensive products that may fit your needs. You don't always have to wait until the end of the contract to change services if you are staying with the same provider. • Have they been a good vendor? Have they met or exceeded your expectations? If not, set aside time to evaluate other providers well in advance of the contract expiration date. 4 Create specific, measurable goals for the IT department to accomplish quarterly in 2018. The steps listed here should help identify key objectives that can be distilled down to individual goals. Assign each to a specific person or team and track progress to promote accountability and create a sense of accomplishment. When goals are achieved, celebrate! 3 Create an IT budget. Take your goals and initiatives and determine the hard and soft costs required for planning, implementation, and ongoing support. 2 Create an annual technology plan to serve as a roadmap for the upcoming year. Your annual technology plan should include your IT budget as well as milestones, timelines, parameters, checkpoints, and expected outcomes. 1 Hire the experts at SisAdmin and let them do all of this for you! SisAdmin has made a name for themselves doing all of this and more, all year long. With a level of excellence unmatched for their clients, they understand how their clients' businesses operate and what is necessary to keep them safe and running smoothly. Using a proven methodology and structure, SisAdmin can clean up your IT so that your business can reach previously unachievable levels of performance and stability. 10 STEPS TO A MORE ORGANIZED BUSINESS 41 master builder SPRING 2018 master builder