Is your IT up to speed? Finding the right technology to take your business into the future.

AuthorGirten, Russell
PositionTELECOM & TECHNOLOGY

With very few exceptions, management teams of Alaska's businesses didn't intend to become masters of information technology. Yet for many businesses, trapped under the weight of an ever-increasing set of technology demands, it seems as though the company is working to support the technology, instead of the technology supporting the company. While IT can have a strong role in enabling a business, it can also challenge the business. As Robert Carter, CIO of FedEx said recently, "You have to be a masochist to want to be an IT person," especially when there are more customer-facing issues to tackle every day.

Small and medium businesses spend a significant amount of money on IT. Justin Jaffe, research manager for Small and Medium-Sized Business Markets at IDC has recently stated, "Spending on IT by the 8 million small and medium-sized businesses in the United States will exceed $138 billion in 2012, accounting for approximately one-quarter of overall global SMB IT spending and more than 10 percent of all IT spending worldwide." Because it is such a lucrative market, IT providers are paying more and more attention to these customers.

]he fact that smartphones are becoming more capable, notebook computers are becoming smaller, and tablet computers are more widespread than ever is having a dramatic impact on our ability to access the information we need to run our businesses. A recent study by The Business Journals of 1,400 business leaders from around the country indicates that about 30 percent of them are using tablets, more than triple that of 2011. This changing face of technology creates great opportunities for Alaska's 275 IT service providers, as well as the businesses that need their support.

What Makes Good IT?

To determine whether or not certain technology is appropriate for a business, it's important to evaluate it along four dimensions:

  1. Does this technology support the purpose of the business?

    It's very easy to buy technology on the illusion of what technology can do for a business, and stumble on its actual usage. When evaluating whether or not technology is right for your business, ask whether it does one of three things: generate more revenue, reduce costs (especially in labor), or improve quality. If the technology doesn't add to the business in one of those three ways, it is not a good investment.

  2. Does my technology function when I need it?

    The promise of technology is to make our professional lives easier, but when it's not...

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