Giving Your Technology a Performance Review
There is no question that having the right team in place is critical to your businesses success. It’s why most organizations conduct performance reviews, to keep employees focused and on track, and propel the business forward.
But in addition to your trusty team, there’s one other key business resource that could benefit from a regular performance review: your technology. Many businesses treat their technology as an afterthought. In fact, a recent Microsoft survey of small business owners found that while many consider technology an extremely important element in operating their business, most do not regularly evaluate the performance of their technology assets.
I hear from a lot of small businesses that they don’t know where to start in evaluating whether their technology is helping or hindering their company’s ability to meet its business objectives. But I’ve also seen small businesses have good success by starting with a look at the following areas of their business:
- Productivity and collaboration – Consider how your technology enables employees to get things done, share information and work as a team. Solicit employee feedback on where they experience bottlenecks in workflow and inefficiencies in their daily work tasks. Is it easy for them to share and collaborate on documents? Are the documents they create viewable across devices, from tablets to PCs to smartphones?
- Mobility – More and more SMBs are looking for ways to support flexibility for employees who work from different locations, and use varying devices that enable them to be productive while working remotely. But enabling mobility in your business requires adequate remote working policies that ensure data security on laptops and mobile devices. It also means making critical business applications, such as accounting software or scheduling apps, available to employees regardless of where they are.
- Security – SMBs are subject to the same security vulnerabilities as large companies, but arguably have more to lose in the face of a security breach. At a minimum, evaluating the security of your business’ technology should include a review of device password requirements, firewalls and anti-virus protections.
Microsoft recently published a free “Assess Your Tech” e-guide, which walks you through the process of evaluating your technology, and helps you align technology to your business strategy. Even if your business doesn’t have formal IT support, there is information available to help you make smarter decisions about technology. For more technology advice and a wealth of other resources for SMBs, visit http://www.microsoftbusinesshub.com/.
Russ Madlener is Senior Director, US Small and Medium Business, Microsoft Corporation
