8 IT Updates Every Business Owner Should Make Now

In today’s digital age, staying on top of the latest technology trends and IT updates is essential for business owners. Keeping up with the latest technology can help you to stay ahead in your industry, save time and money, plus improve the overall efficiency of your business.

IT leaders always need help introducing new technologies into their company’s workflow. Naturally, they’re focused on the future, trying to predict how the market will change and how this will impact their business.

Spending on IT worldwide is expected to reach $5.32 trillion in 2022. Asia is predicted to impact the worldwide IT market, contributing 31% significantly. ~Statista

Technological advances have been made at a breathtaking pace in the past few decades, with new trends emerging seemingly every day. To make it easier, we have put together a list of 8 IT updates every business owner should make now to ensure their business is up-to-date and running at peak performance.

Technological Change Drives Competitive Advantage

The effect of technological change can be seen in many ways, including:

Changing Customer Needs and Expectations – This means that customers expect products to be tailored to their individual needs, which is a challenge for businesses as they need to be able to meet each customer’s demands while still maintaining high levels of quality.

Improved Productivity – The ability to produce more with less effort can increase profits and lower costs.

New Business Models – New technologies can open up new markets or enable existing businesses to expand into new markets. This might include selling products or services in an entirely new way of using technology to streamline previously manual processes.

Reduced Costs and Risk – The use of technology can reduce the need for expensive physical assets and enable businesses to operate more effectively in areas where they may have previously been limited by geography or climate (e.g., working from home).

Increased Flexibility – Technology enables businesses to be more flexible in their operations, providing greater freedom over-allocating resources and responding to customer needs.

IT Updates for Tech Leaders

In addition to keeping up with the latest technology, IT leaders should also be aware of some top business trends and how they can apply them within their companies. Here are the 8 most important trends that all IT leaders should be aware of.

Increase Emphasis on Transparent Data Governance

Protecting your company’s data in today’s age is essential, where data is everything. While there are many ways you can go about doing this, one of the most effective ways is by making sure that your employees understand how they should transparently handle confidential information.

You can do this by ensuring that all your policies are clear and easy to understand. You can also ensure that these policies are well-enforced so that employees can be confident about their usage and lack thereof.

Adopt Web3 Technologies

The next generation of cloud applications will be built on Web3 technology and offer various benefits to IT departments, including improved security and reduced expenses. These new apps will also be easier to use than traditional applications, so they’ll help your employees work more efficiently.

Accelerate Cloud Adoption

Cloud computing offers businesses huge advantages over traditional data centers, such as reduced cost and complexity, more flexibility and scalability, and a more remarkable ability to innovate. And yet many companies still need to be more confident about moving their workloads into the cloud. To help speed up cloud adoption, inform your colleagues about how cloud computing can benefit them personally and professionally. Also, be sure to communicate what risks may arise from migrating workloads to the cloud, so they can make informed decisions about when it’s appropriate for them or their departments to move their applications into the public cloud.

Upgrade Your Network Router

You probably know that your router is the device that connects your computers to the Internet. But did you know that routers are becoming more than just a way to share an Internet connection? Many routers now offer enhanced security features, including mini-computers that can perform remote backup and virus protection tasks.

Routers also have built-in firewalls, so if you haven’t updated yours in a while, this may be a good time to do so — especially if you want better protection for your network against hackers.

Update Your Software Licenses

Make sure your software is fully licensed by running the free trial version of our software through our website. This ensures that all the features and tools work for you and your team. If it doesn’t, contact us, and we’ll help you get everything up and running smoothly. You can also check out our list of top 10 small business apps here!

Update Your Network Security

Security updates should be implemented as soon as they become available, so we recommend setting up automatic updates in Windows Update or macOS Software Update preferences. These updates usually fix security vulnerabilities or bugs in the system. Suppose you have other software installed on your computers, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader or Microsoft Office programs. In that case, they may also have built-in automatic update settings, ensuring that your devices are always protected against known threats.

Adapt AI

The future of AI is here, and it’s time to get ready. Adapt AI is a platform that helps companies build, train and deploy their custom AI-powered solutions. These solutions can be anything from an intelligent chatbot to an innovative mobile app. It’s an excellent tool for any company looking to take advantage of the latest advancements in artificial intelligence.

Give More Attention to FinOps

Financial operations have always been vital for any business. But as technology advances, financial operations are becoming more complex than ever before — which means they need more attention. FinOps is a new term that refers to the “financial operations” part of your business strategy, including payment processing and calculating taxes owed when customers purchase online. If you want your business to grow, devote more time and money toward this area of your organization — primarily if you sell products or services online.

Final Words

With technology advancing rapidly, it’s essential to consider whether your company utilizes the best technology available and how you can stay ahead of the competition. This list of IT updates is by no means exhaustive, but it should serve as a good starting point for business owners that want to keep up with the latest IT trends. Updating your business’s IT equipment will not only positively impact productivity and efficiency, but it could also help you achieve increased revenue and growth.

Protected Harbor is the perfect partner for business owners or CTOs who need professional guidance during times of technology change. Our experienced team of professionals can help you make sense of the overwhelming amount of information available, and our services are tailored to each customer’s needs.

With a free IT Audit, we can assess your current system and identify areas where improvements can be made. Let us help you get the most out of your investments and confidently make technology changes. Contact us today!