This time of the year, many organizations are reflecting on what happened in the past 12 months and setting resolutions for a better year ahead. When making resolutions for the new year, it’s important to include resolutions related to your company’s technology.
Here are the top IT resolutions that small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) should make for 2023.
1. Evaluate your company’s technology
Now is the perfect time to conduct an IT audit so you can identify gaps in your technology and security controls and what changes need to be made. This will help you know which IT expenses to prioritize and set budgets accordingly.
2. Create a hardware refresh plan
Most SMBs purchase IT equipment without a hardware refresh plan in place. They replace hardware only when it breaks or upgrade it when there’s extra money. This way of managing hardware means you may get bogged down by inefficient hardware or make unplanned purchases when equipment breaks down.
A hardware refresh plan improves efficiency since it ensures you have the right tech to support your business requirements. It also eliminates unexpected IT expenses and minimizes downtime due to broken equipment. When done properly, a hardware refresh plan can even let you save money since you’re able to plan your IT purchases and take advantage of promotions.
3. Improve security for remote and hybrid work setups
At the start of the pandemic, many companies prioritized enabling remote work setups without paying much attention to the vulnerabilities such arrangements created. Businesses must now address these vulnerabilities by implementing the following measures:
- Creating remote/hybrid work policies
- Enrolling all devices used for work into a mobile device management solution
- Reviewing the security settings of cloud subscriptions
- Enabling multifactor authentication for online accounts
- Using a password manager
- Reviewing access privileges of user accounts
- Providing regular employee security awareness training
- Partnering with a managed security services provider
4. Have a reliable backup and disaster recovery (BDR) strategy
If you don’t have a BDR strategy yet, then make sure to have it in place this new year. If you already have one, then you should test your BDR strategy and make the necessary improvements.
Having a reliable BDR strategy can ensure that your company data and critical systems are secure and accessible at all times. This way, you can easily bounce back and resume operations during unexpected events, such as natural disasters, hardware failures, power outages, and cyberattacks.
5. Upgrade to Windows 11
Microsoft officially released Windows 11 in October 2021, but some companies have yet to upgrade to this new operating system (OS). While there is still plenty of time before Windows 10 is no longer supported, there is no real reason to put off upgrading to Windows 11.
So in 2023, make sure to upgrade your business’s computers to this new OS. Windows 11 offers more features and increased security, which can help maximize productivity and minimize downtime caused by IT issues. The sooner you upgrade to Windows 11, the sooner you can take advantage of its benefits. Plus, you don’t have to worry about potential OS upgrade issues since Windows 11 has already been heavily tested.
6. Consider adopting new technologies
Technology is constantly evolving and changing, so it’s best to be on the lookout for new IT solutions that can help improve employee productivity, streamline your operations, and drive business growth.
In 2023, consider leveraging solutions like robotic process automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. These technologies can automate repetitive tasks like manual data entry, provide accurate, actionable business insights, and improve customer service.
[company_short] can help you meet these IT resolutions to ensure that your business is well equipped to deal with the challenges of the new year. Schedule a FREE consultation with us today.
