How To Evaluate Your Business’s IT Needs

As a business owner, you know that technology is constantly changing and evolving. What may have been cutting-edge a few years ago is now old news. To remain competitive, you need to make sure that your IT infrastructure is up-to-date and able to support your current and future needs. But how do you know what those needs are? That’s where BL Technical comes in. 

In this blog post, we will give you some tips on how to evaluate your business’s IT needs so that you can make sure you are investing in the right solutions.

There are three main areas you’ll need to consider when evaluating your business’s IT needs: infrastructure, applications, and security. Let’s take a closer look at each of these areas so that you can better understand what they entail. 

Infrastructure 

This refers to the physical components of your IT system, such as computers, servers, storage devices, and networking equipment. When evaluating your infrastructure needs, you’ll need to consider things like capacity (how much storage do you need?), performance (how fast do things need to be?), availability (how often do you need access to data?), and scalability (can your system handle increased demand?). 

Applications

These are the software programs that run on your computers and servers and enable you to perform specific tasks. Common business applications include word processing, spreadsheet, email, customer relationship management (CRM), and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. When evaluating your application needs, you’ll need to consider things like which tasks need to be automated and which tasks can be performed manually; how many users will need access to the applications; and whether or not you need mobile access.  

Security

This is perhaps the most important consideration when it comes to evaluating your business’s IT needs. In today’s world of sophisticated cyberattacks, data breaches, and ransomware attacks, it’s more important than ever to ensure that your data is well-protected. When evaluating your security needs, you’ll need to consider things like which data needs to be protected and at what level; who should have access to which data; and what type of security measures (firewalls, encryption, etc.) are needed. 

Who Is Responsible

As you begin to evaluate your needs, it is an excellent time to create a list of who is responsible for supporting each resource and to what extent. For instance, BL Technical provides support for many applications, such as Microsoft Office. But what about your line of business software?

Your industry may require specific software.  BL Technical is generally responsible for maintaining the environment so that the application can run, but your company should maintain a support contract with the vendor behind the application for things like user training and the handling of bugs that might arise. IT does not have the access to the code nor the capability to address such issues where they arise since it’s inside of a piece of proprietary software.

Evaluating your business’s IT needs can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. By taking the time to understand your infrastructure, applications, and security needs, you can make sure that you’re investing in the right solutions for your business. 

And if you’re ever unsure about something or need some help getting started, don’t hesitate to reach out to us—we’re always happy to help! Give BL Technical a call today – (410) 504-1949