Whether to keep up with modern technology, accommodate future growth or improve security, the truth is running a business means there comes a time you will have to invest in your IT infrastructure.
The decision to upgrade your IT infrastructure is an important one, which can have a major impact on your company’s future. With the growing numbers of businesses shifting to a hybrid work model, it’s reasonable to question what the right action is.
For many businesses, this decision will be based on financial considerations: whether it’s more cost-effective to invest in a new system now or wait for an upgrade.
IT modernisation
The process of upgrading or implementing new technology is called modernisation. IT modernisation shares some key benefits as digital transformation, which is the strategic move to transform business models with technology to open new opportunities for growth and revenue.
IT modernisation can enable organisations to streamline processes, boost productivity, even improve security, moving away from legacy software and solutions, in favour of more innovative technology.
What is driving the need for change?
The first step is to understand what your company’s goals and objectives are for upgrading your IT infrastructure. Where is your business today and where is it trying to go? An overview of your direction is the first step to understanding if investing in new infrastructure is the best decision, and then you can plan a strategy to follow.
Historically, IT infrastructure has been centred on providing technology and tools in dedicated office spaces. But with a hybrid work model predicted to be the new future of business, organisations need to accommodate this as part of their technology environment.
It’s not uncommon for different elements of your IT infrastructure to change at the same time, causing a ripple effect throughout your business. The more advanced elements of your IT infrastructure may have become outdated while other areas have remained static. As a result, it’s important to assess whether there are any gaps or inconsistencies in your IT infrastructure that are likely to cause problems down the line.
It’s also important that you take into account the possible future needs of your company when making this decision. In many cases, this will involve analysing the requirements of your business and how likely it is that you will require additional resources in the future. This is particularly important if your business relies on your IT infrastructure to run smoothly.
How much should I spend?
The next thing to consider is how much you should spend on a new IT system. It’s important to consider whether you need a new system or whether upgrading to a more advanced one would be more cost-effective.
As mentioned above, it’s not uncommon for different parts of an organisation to upgrade at the same time, causing a ripple effect throughout the business. As such, you must assess whether there are any gaps or inconsistencies in your current IT infrastructure that are likely to cause problems down the line. Will upgrading now save you money and time (and frustration) in the long term? Work out what is and isn’t working.
Take a look at your current infrastructure and work out what is working and what isn’t. If your business is moving to a hybrid work model, it can feel overwhelming to decide what infrastructure you need.
It will be important to connect employees who work from home and work in the office, to ensure they can collaborate efficiently, drive efficiency and productivity, and foster a common culture. This can be achieved through low-cost options such as Microsoft 365, a Software as a Service (SaaS) suite of productivity and collaboration tools that is easy to set up and manage, ensuring employees are connected to the information and the people to get their jobs done. Because Microsoft 365 is designed to be set up and accessed from anywhere, on any device, this negates the need to invest in new infrastructure immediately, but leaves the door open to future updates and changes later.
Alternatively, your business may want to have the ability to scale up or down computing power, without wanting to also invest in hardware and servers. This is where Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) such as Microsoft Azure can be of benefit, offering your business virtually instant computing infrastructure, including servers, data centres, and security applications – all managed in the cloud. Again, this can be a more cost-efficient option for your business, as it is a subscription-based payment that allows unparalleled flexibility and scalability, without a complete overhaul and investment in physical hardware.
A final word on IT investment
The first rule when it comes to the modern workplace and investing in new IT infrastructure is you don’t have to change everything all at once.
Technology is the key to a successful business and planning any changes to your IT infrastructure should be done strategically, to ensure you leverage maximum potential and return in investment. Reshape and revamp your business technology with the IT specialists at Linktech Australia today and move into your digital future with confidence.