IT can be complex. What is one way to keep IT simple?
To help small business owners simplify IT, we asked IT experts and business owners this question for their best tips. From reviewing your technology stack to hiring the right people, there are several strategies that may help you simplify IT at your small business for years to come.
Here are nine strategies to keep IT simple in your small business:
- Review Your Tech Stack
- Make Tech Work for You
- Keep Your Writing Error-Free
- Prioritize Documentation
- Consider Outsourcing
- Identify IT Priorities
- Hire the Right People
- Establish Clear Communication
- Explain It Simply
Review Your Tech Stack
To keep IT simple, it’s always good to take an assessment of the applications and softwares that you’re using. Do any of them overlap? Are any apps outdated? Are there better ones out there for what you need? Taking a survey of your IT landscape like this can help you eliminate any redundancies and make sure you’re using the best ones for what you need. As an RV rental company, we, too, need to make sure that we’re using everything at our disposal as efficiently as possible. Everything comes with a cost so it could very well save you some money or find the snag in your processes that’s slowing you down. This way you can keep track of what your business uses and then maybe you can learn deeply about it as well without feeling overwhelmed.
Randall Smalley, Cruise America
Make Tech Work for You
I like to use technology to keep daily tasks simple. As a busy business owner of an eyelash extension supplies company, time management and productivity matter a lot to me so I can share lash artistry with everyone. Using a detailed scheduling tool or customer relationship management (CRM) software is important to keep track of meetings and business contacts to keep up with my Lash Sisterhood and suppliers.
Vanessa Molica, The Lash Professional
Keep Your Writing Error-Free
Even if you don’t think you’re writing a lot as an IT professional, you are. From emails to messages to a coworker, there’s some sort of drafting that occurs. In order to make sure that your writing is error-free, turn to a predictive text software like ours. With our predictive text software, you can also get real-time corrections that won’t slow you down as you’re working, and it can help read the tone of your message to reduce the number of miscommunications. This can really help you and your IT team keep communication clear and help reduce any complexities that may arise.
Guy Katabi, Lightkey
Prioritize Documentation
I rely on documentation to keep IT simple. At Markitors, we like to write SOPs that touch only the relevant features of the technology we use to get the job done. This also helps with training new employees, making the process of acclimating to new tasks more smoothly.
Danielle Ganon, Markitors
Consider Outsourcing
IT can be complex, and the best way to keep it simple is to delegate your IT needs to either a CTO or a Managed Service Provider (MSP). MSPs are great at delivering high-quality IT services. There are many regional Managed Service Providers local to your area that are great for offloading your IT needs. If you choose to delegate to a CTO, and keep your IT in-house, trust their judgement on ways to simplify your IT needs. You don’t personally need to be an expert on IT; you just need to be able to delegate to someone who is.
Jason Butcher, CoinPayments
Identify IT Priorities
Not all IT processes hold the same weight for your business. Maybe you only really need to focus on desktop management or application implementation. By understanding your business’s IT needs, you can streamline your IT processes and keep things simpler.
Tom Mumford, Undergrads
Hire the Right People
One way to keep IT simple is by hiring the right people to manage your IT. IT can be expensive and it can be tempting to cheap out in this department, but you will suffer if you do. Hire the best IT professionals to manage your IT infrastructure and you will be glad that you did. Every business relies on IT in some capacity and you will want to have a reliable IT infrastructure if you want your business to succeed.
Lauren Picasso, Cure Hydration
Establish Clear Communication
If you have an IT team helping your business, make sure that when you communicate your desires with your IT team that everyone is on the same page. As long as all communication is concise and easy to understand, all IT goals for the company can be implemented easily.
Ben Teicher, Healthy Directions
Explain It Simply
Simplify IT and tech with layman’s terms. Try to provide a way to easily explain a tech idea, software, or project in a few sentences. This saves a lot of time later down the line when marketing and advertisement come into play. It brings everyone to the same level and also makes it easier for consumers to understand IT as well.
Derin Oyekan, Reel Paper
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