As technology continues to improve, IT efficiency is becoming increasingly important to business operations. The affordability of modern equipment means that business performance is no longer limited by hardware, but by use of effective IT strategies.
IT experts can improve business IT efficiency by optimising business resources, processes and service quality, using a range of different strategies. Increased efficiency and reduced costs are just some of the ways that businesses can benefit from targeting and improving their IT practices.
Get an IT Health Check
Before you start developing your IT strategy, it’s important to set the benchmark for your business. Having your business’ IT procedures audited and assessed will help target areas that need improvement and will better shape your overall IT strategy.
A detailed check of your IT systems will support your existing practices, provide solutions to ongoing problems and discover opportunities to improve.
Use a Content Management System
A content management system (CMS) is a software application that helps users create and manage digital content, such as for their website or for internal business documents. An efficient CMS simplifies the entire process of content management and makes tasks such as updating your website or sharing files between colleagues much faster. Selecting the right CMS will mean finding one that is simple and easy to use, while allowing you the flexibility to have multiple users with different levels of access.
Manage Your Documents
Software such as content management systems and effective business practices can help you to organise your documents and increase business efficiency. The goals for an organised document system are simplicity, speed and ease of access. Creating a simplified procedure can help improve your employee’s workflow, allowing them to work faster and more productively.
Benefits of an organised document procedure include:
- Added security
- Improved ability to find resources
- Less chance of losing documents
- Better collaboration
- Less time lost due to duplication of resources
Use a Customer Relationship Management System
Customer relationship management (CRM) systems help businesses to easily and efficiently manage customer details. CRM systems simplify the many processes involved in organising and liaising with customers into a central and easy-to-use interface. They often include other outbound features such as the ability to send automatic email campaigns, maintaining relationships and growing business leads.
Consider Outsourced IT Support
Unless your staff are expertly trained, they may not be able to resolve every issue involved in maintaining your IT system. However, many smaller businesses can’t afford to keep dedicated IT staff for occasional problems. A more efficient alternative can be to outsource your business’ IT support to trusted and experienced professionals. This allows your staff to focus on what they do best while ensuring that you still benefit from consistent IT support.
Move Your Business to the Cloud
Cloud computing is a service which uses remote internet servers to host business IT operations such as file management, CMS and CRM systems. Cloud-based services can improve your business’ efficiency by optimising workflow and cutting costs.
With access to business resources over the internet, employees can work faster and more flexibly. Shared applications that operate over the cloud allow users to communicate and collaborate in real-time across distances, increasing productivity and reducing time spent waiting for information. Cloud computing also reduces the size and cost of a business’ hardware needs, requiring only an internet connection to operate.
With some key changes and the right plan in place, your business can enjoy the benefits of an efficient IT system. What methods will you use to improve your business IT efficiency? Let us know in the comments below.
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This article was written by Daniel Defendi, who writes for Office Solutions IT in Perth. You can catch him on Google+ to discuss this piece.