Over the years Strategic IT Consulting has witnessed all sorts of avoidable mishaps due to companies making important network decisions without proper advisement. We've seen our fair share from the CEO that personally manages all of his own technical issues, to inexperienced IT personnel, to MSP's that show up only when there's a problem. Sometimes the smallest occurrences can be responsible for bringing down entire business networks. Mistakes are costly, and we hate to see money go to waste because of poor technical decisions made by unqualified people.These are the most common (and avoidable) IT mistakes that we have seen. 1. Failing to get staff input. In order to get the most ROI on your IT, you must ensure the technology fits the needs of your staff. Who better than the people that actually use the technology to decide on new software, hardware and processes. Their opinions can be used to increase productive and inevitably save the business money. Implementing new technology that the employees dislike or find difficult to use will hurt productivity (and maybe morale too).2. New is not necessarily better. We all get excited about new technology, but that doesn't mean it is the best option for your network. We cannot stress this enough: no two businesses are alike; therefore every new technology is not suited for every infrastructure. A highly skilled professional will comprehensively evaluate your infrastructure and plan the most appropriate upgrades to streamline operations, maintain a competitive edge and stay within budget. 3. Rejecting all new technology. Essentially the polar opposite of #2. Typically these are the conservative adopters, waiting for the dust of innovation to settle to take their sweet time deciding on which low-cost choice to be a reliable alternative to the "new." By the time this decision-making process is complete, the competition has gained momentum, company growth has outgrown the existing infrastructure, and you've just cost your company money on insufficient productivity. Don't be that person.4. Not all hardware and software are meant to co-exist. Universal compatibility amongst all software and hardware is just not the world we live in. Before purchasing any hardware or software you must extensively investigate the product, its intended purpose, the effect on current systems, and adoption by new users. In our experience, clients that have purchased software without consulting with us waste their company's time as well as ours. Now we must diagnose the issue and find out what the changes were that you made, and how to fix it. Folks, your network administrators are just a phone call away, make the call.5. Not having adequate data back-up AND failing to have a business continuity plan. Unpredictable weather, hard-drive failures, lost/stolen equipment are all disasters that have lost valuable data and applications for our clients. Possibly the most tragic situation is when a client insisted their current data back-up system was sufficient, only to discover (after it's too late) that the last back-up was months ago. At that point, extra resources are spent trying to recover all of that lost data. A disaster recovery plan maintains the availability of websites and entire network systems which decreases your downtime. It just makes sense.Making technical decisions can be overwhelming for anyone who's not professionally trained in IT. A reputable Managed Service Provider can offer expert solutions for your unique business model and they'll have qualified staff specialized in working with all types of hardware, software and networks. Steer clear of these mistakes and consult with your network administrators to ensure that the future of your business network will be in a more productive state. Strategic IT Consulting is always available to answer any of your questions no matter how silly you think it might be. Feel free to contact us at (732) 369-3192.
