Whether you own a small business or manage a large public corporation, the technology you use can increase your efficiency or slow you down. But, at the rate new tech is produced, it can quickly outpace your budget to upgrade your hardware. Luckily, new doesn’t mean necessary, so if you want to stay current without using all your disposable income, consider these upgrades first.
Software
Typically, your hardware will outlast your software. Your computer should last you years even if you are running on last year’s processors and storage. What changes quite often is the software that you use to produce edited images, participate in video conferencing, or create PDFs. Many companies like Adobe and Microsoft now offer monthly subscription services for the multitude of software products they produce. This can really cut down costs when multiple people need access to these programs with the latest updates as they are housed on the cloud and are updated regularly via that connection.
Audio-Visual Equipment
Do you remember when your teacher would roll out the A/V cart with the VCR and laser disk players for the often-enjoyed movie day in class? Let’s keep that nostalgia and return the equipment. While you don’t need the latest gadget that comes out every year, you will want to make sure that any A/V equipment you use regularly reflects the current requirements for online platforms or your current content creation endeavors. Luckily, entry-level cameras, microphones, and accessories are now cheaper than ever. In some cases, upgrading your cell phone will be enough to allow you to create high-quality images with low-cost gear.
Security
This one is a biggie and a piece of technology that has slowly become more and more important as more of our information is housed digitally behind usernames, passwords, and two-factor encryption. There is software to secure your personal computer and services that further secure private servers and any other technology that requires digital access. This is one area where we would not compromise to save money.
Servers
This can be an intimidating addition to how you run your business, but you have likely been using these already and didn’t realize it. Servers can be privately owned, or you can access servers via subscription plans. Depending on the types and sizes of files you use, you may need more room and therefore your own server or you can ‘rent’ space from companies such as Google, Dropbox, or Microsoft. Servers are like huge external hard drives with a few extra features, and they allow your team to work remotely or simultaneously on files located on your server. Spending the money on centralizing your data will help streamline your client process and add flexibility to everyone’s workday which is essential in our highly mobile and unpredictable world.
Thinking of upgrading? Get in touch with us so that we can help you get what you need and save what you can.
