New year, new IT resolutions: What your business should do to improve its technology
The new year is here, and with it comes the chance for a fresh start. For businesses, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on the past year and set resolutions to help them improve in the coming one. This includes making resolutions for their IT department. Technology evolves rapidly, and it’s vital to keep up so your business can run as efficiently as possible.
As we move into 2023, there are some critical IT resolutions your business should make to ensure a successful year.
Avoid a disastrous 2023 — have a backup and disaster recovery plan
If a natural disaster strikes, you don’t want your business to be without a plan. This is why in 2023, your business should put in place a backup and disaster recovery (BDR) plan, if it doesn’t already have one. This means having a backup of all your data, as well as a plan for how you will recover if your system goes down.
It can be daunting to develop a BDR plan, but there are numerous resources that can help you get started. And with managed backup solutions widely available to businesses of all sizes, there’s no reason not to implement a backup solution that can help your business survive natural or human-made disasters in the coming year.
Understand where your business tech is headed by creating an IT roadmap
A technology roadmap is a plan that outlines your enterprise’s IT goals, such as improving workflows and collaboration and strategies for achieving them. Having a roadmap will help you stay on track and keep your IT investments aligned with your business objectives.
The new year is an opportune time to create an IT roadmap because it gives you a chance to reflect on the direction you took in the past year and think about where you want your business to go in the future. It’s also a time when budgets are fresh and it makes sense to start new initiatives.
Prioritize having strong passwords
Creating strong passwords is one of the best ways to defend your online accounts in 2023 and beyond. This is why effective password management should be included in your IT resolutions, and it should cover best practices like using strong passwords, changing them regularly, and using different passwords for different accounts. Password management can be tricky, but there are many password managers available that can ease the process.
Keep your devices up to date
This means keeping all the software and hardware of your devices up to date to help protect them from vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. It also helps ensure that your devices are running at optimum performance. Depending on the type of device, there are a few different ways you can go about updating it. For step-by-step instructions on how to update your device, visit the manufacturer’s website.
Rethink your business phones
Businesses should seriously consider switching to a Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, phone system in 2023 because old systems like landlines have become less reliable and are not as feature-rich. Unlike traditional landlines, for example, VoIP systems can be set up to work with your computer, allowing you to make and receive calls from your desktop or laptop. They can also be set up to work with your cell phone and other mobile gadgets, thereby letting you make and receive calls regardless of your location.
Consider work-life balance or work-life integration
When employees are burned out, they are less productive and more likely to commit errors. This can also be costly for businesses — exhausted employees cost US businesses billions of dollars in health-related lost productivity. On the other hand, work-life balance or work-life integration can lead to happier and more satisfied employees. When employees are happy, they are more engaged and productive, and businesses see better results.
There are many ways for businesses to promote work-life balance or integration. Some companies allow employees to work from home occasionally, while others have flexible hours or policies that allow employees to take time off for personal reasons. Whatever your strategy may be to achieve work-life balance, the key is to provide the resources your employees need to function well, whether they’re working in the office, at home, or doing hybrid work. There are applications, programs, and devices that employees can use that are instrumental to promoting work-life balance or integration.
Having a dependable IT team that can handle all your technical issues can also do wonders for productivity. NetWize offers best-in-class technology solutions to businesses in Salt Lake City and across Utah. Partner with us to see your business soar in 2023. Request a free consultation from us today.
