The quality of your IT infrastructure dictates a huge amount of your company’s success, which is why it’s important it runs smoothly. Since IT needs are constantly evolving, your team should re-evaluate the infrastructure regularly. While this can seem like a daunting task, there are some clear warning signs your company needs to upgrade its systems. Therefore, we’ve shared 10 of the biggest indications you need to upgrade your company’s IT.
- You’re paying too much for your IT solutions
Older systems require regular repairs and updates to continue working. This may not seem like it costs a lot when it’s for an isolated machine, but try add up the cost of all the repair work for all your IT solutions – you’ll probably be surprised by the final figure. Ultimately, upgrading your IT infrastructure will save you money in the long run by eliminating the cost of miscellaneous updates.
- Your energy bills are sky high
IT infrastructure naturally requires energy, but it shouldn’t require so much that your eyebrows raise when you see your energy bill. Overly excessive electricity usage is a huge sign that your systems are ineffective. Ultimately, if your systems eat electricity while they’re running, investing in new hardware will save you money in the long run.
- You haven’t taken steps to comply with the GDPR
The EU are in the process of overhauling the data protection rules, and are implementing the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May of 2018. This requires any company storing customer data to take further steps to secure the information. Since it takes time to assess the right data protection solution for your business, they recommend companies immediately start analysing their current data storage, processing and use.
- Your applications are super slow
If the company’s applications are running slowly, your employees can’t work to their full potential. This can happen for a number of reasons, including low storage space, inefficient software, or malware on your hardware. Regardless of the reason, long loading times slow down your operation, making this is a huge warning sign you need to upgrade your system.
- Your computers keep crashing
If your computers crash in the middle of the work day, it’s a huge warning sign they need to be replaced. Efficient infrastructure should be able to continue regardless of the work load you’re completing. If it’s not able to do so, it’s either ineffective or infected with a virus; either way action is recommended.
- Your employees are all using different hardware
When employees join your team at different times, they may end up using different hardware. However, having inconsistent IT in your company leads to a multitude of issues. Compatibility issues can arise with software and documents, as well as control and management issues. Moreover, the unnecessary cost of procuring and updating hardware from different suppliers is far more than simply upgrading your infrastructure.
- Your software is reaching it’s ‘end of life’
All developers build end-dates into their software life cycles. After this date is surpassed, updates no longer support the product, meaning it’s more vulnerable to cyber threats. Or, it could put your business in legal danger if it’s no longer compliant with industry standards such as the upcoming GDPR, discussed in point three. As a result, it’s important to monitor your software’s ‘end of life’ dates and upgrade accordingly.
- You’re using 10 different systems to complete one task
If you’re using too many programmes for a simple task, it’s time to re-evaluate your infrastructure. Instead of paying for a mish mash of ‘off the shelf’ products, it’s time to consider custom software development. Though there’s a common misconception that software development services are more expensive, customizing businesses processes may actually end up saving money.
- You don’t have enough storage space
If your employees are receiving ‘insufficient storage space’ messages, your infrastructure needs to be re-evaluated. Regardless of if it’s their computers or the company cloud, running out of storage has unfortunate repercussions for productivity. Not only does it prevent your employees saving the documents they require, but it can also result in your systems running slowly due to the system over-load.
- Your system was breached
The biggest warning sign of all is experiencing a security breach. If your system experiences a breach in any shape or form, your team needs to immediately review your infrastructure’s security. Even the smallest email phishing scam can reveal big problems with your company’s security measures.
Require more information about upgrading your IT infrastructure?
For more advice on upgrading your IT, or for help transferring your legacy system to a new infrastructure; contact ActionPoint today. Our team has years of experience upgrading IT infrastructure and software, and would be happy to advise on your project.
