Being a small business owner comes with great challenges. The most common one is lack of funds, wherein it’s tough for you to keep up with payroll and maintain positive cash flow. You may also have trouble finding good employees as you don’t have the resources to offer appealing benefits packages as big companies do. On top of that, your team will have difficulty balancing quality and growth.
From performing numerous tasks to ensuring quality results, you and your employees might find it hard to do everything efficiently. However, you should know that access to new technology is essential to keep your business in the market. It is expensive to implement, but it’s vital. If you want to create new products or perform operations faster, you’ll need to upgrade your business tech occasionally. Continue reading to find out a few tech upgrades you can start on.
1. Upgrade the computer setup
If your operations require running several systems or applications, you need a faster and better computer. One unlikely option is a gaming computer. Gaming desktops are often considered taboo when it comes to a workspace. In reality, these computers have all the connections and power your team needs to edit videos or present huge PowerPoint files without freezing or slowdowns. Sure, you can find non-gaming PCs that can run these programs, but they’re more likely to freeze up during your board meeting. If your team requires extra power to run more advanced systems, upgrade to gaming desktops.
2. Add multiple monitors
Next, you might also want to consider getting extra monitors for your computers. Providing your employees with more than one screen can help boost user satisfaction and productivity by up to 50%. With this, your team can perform their tasks much easier and faster and deliver results on schedule. You’ll first need to consider a pilot study or a limited deployment to check if this is actually a good investment for your small business. Generally, a small business should provide a reasonably sized external LCD to each laptop user. Plus, this can help you support the eye health of your employees by replacing small displays. No to eye strain!
3. Boost internal communications
In any business operation, collaboration is of high priority. But some small companies still use traditional messaging, which is now quite ineffective for modern offices. They may be cheaper to obtain and implement, but they can also be frustrating and tedious to use. If you want a smooth virtual collaboration within the team, opt for a specialized community tool. There are tons of modern communication tools today that offer free to affordable collaboration features, which are perfect whether you’re running a remote or onsite team.
4. Ditch old operating systems
Another software business competent to look into is your operating systems. The older system you’re using, the more potential security flaws there are. If you want to protect your online operations from attacks like malware, keep up with the latest operating systems as much as you can. Some business owners think that using a firewall or antispyware is enough.
The truth is that the security holes can come with the system itself. For one, newer desktop operating systems are designed to have a more decent shelf and are more secure. At the same time, your employees can work on advanced programs and apps without hiccups. Not to mention, modern operating systems can work on almost all kinds of devices. A reminder: Take note that more frequent hotfixes and security patches are normal for newly launched systems.
5. Consider wireless mesh network
Do you experience dead spots in different areas of your workplace? Then considering a wireless mesh network would be ideal. Compared to regular providers, such networks offer a faster and more seamless connection. They are typically used in large enterprises, municipals, and campuses too. Wireless mesh networks also use fewer wires. They cost less and are easy to install.
Other great things about these networks are that they are expandable, are adaptable, and can support high-demand connectivity. The catch is that devices used for mesh networks are more expensive than traditional routers. Nonetheless, if you’re looking to minimize dead zones and have better coverage, a mesh network is worth investing in.
Investing and implementing new technology and processes is a costly step for any small business. But if you want to run your company more efficiently and provide faster and higher quality service to customers, these upgrades are worth the money. Discuss the essential upgrades you need and maintain a good position in the marketplace.
Meta title: Tech Upgrades to Help Your Team Get Things Done Faster
meta desc: When you’re running a small business, time and results are of top priority. Make it easier for your employees to work fast and accurately by using these technological upgrades.
