In a rapidly evolving tech landscape, staying current is essential for business success. So, what can you do to keep your company’s technology current?
Staying in step with the latest technology can be managed with a plan that starts with strategy. From understanding your needs to leveraging diverse resources, crafting a solid strategy ensures you’re not just keeping pace but leading the innovation charge.
The strategy can be developed utilizing four easy steps:
Understand your Current Status
This is as basic as knowing what your technology needs are and how to use them.
Evaluate the resources that are available to you
Resources abound, and while that is a good thing, it can also be overwhelming. Decide what resources will be most valuable to you and tap into them regularly. These resources could include books, magazines, tv, radio, newspapers, internet and other people. These resources make it easy to learn about technology. Don’t waste time trying to re-invent the wheel. Others have already conducted hours of research to make it easy to understand how things work.
Rank your resources
This will help save valuable time and allow you to tap into the resources that will keep you moving in the right direction.
Carve out time to utilize your resources: All the resources in the world won’t be of any value if you don’t make the time to utilize them. Dedicate a few minutes a day and you’ll find it is not so hard to keep up with the latest news. Once your specific strategy has been outlined, have a plan to keep up with technology. Regardless of business size, every company should have an IT strategy in place. This strategy should also outline the particular role that various technologies play within the company. Once you have determined the role technology plays, it becomes easier to review emerging trends and potential new solutions.
Keep up with the latest technology
Have a dedicated IT person as a member of senior management
Instead of having each department research solutions that work best for them, a dedicated IT manager can research technology that benefits the company as a whole and improves communication.
Budget for technology research
This can range from budgeting for employees to attend technology trade shows to experimenting with new technology.
Set up tests
Larger companies can save valuable time and resources by testing out new technology ideas.
Utilize your own tech-savvy employees
Much of today’s technology has constant updates. Most companies have employees that are willing to test out the new technology before it is released to the public.
Utilize your search engines
Don’t overlook the obvious. Today’s search engines can even customize the request to a particular time period; this will help ensure the information you are looking at reflects the latest news. This will also produce results that include blog articles by authors who are experts in the field. You can then save that as a bookmark and check back often for the latest news. Search results will also return podcasts and forums that can provide valuable information to help keep you up to date.
Social media is a great resource as well
People love to talk about the latest and greatest. They also love to call out the technology they consider a “fail”. Utilize Twitter (aka X) to follow technology experts and gurus. Their tweets often link to their latest blog post where they share the latest and greatest information.
Face to face interaction is not dwindling in importance
Don’t underestimate the power of group meetings and technical conferences. These events often have an entire expo floor filled with companies wanting to demo and highlight the latest and greatest features of new technology.
While many ideas have been highlighted, the biggest obstacle most face is getting started. Start by choosing the ideas that seem most relevant to your business and get moving. Block out a few minutes on your calendar every day and you’ll be surprised the difference it can make at keeping up with the latest technology.
Falling behind on technology can leave your business in the dust and eventually out of business. Technology provides a competitive advantage for your business and ultimately is one of the biggest influencers on the bottom line.
At Unstoppable Software, we are experts at helping businesses develop strategies to stay up to date with the latest technology. Contact us to learn more!
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