Small business owners need to find creative ways to build a strong, productive operation. The best way to create the kind of productivity required to successfully grow a business is to ensure that everything works in concert. Today, we will look at a four technologies that can go a long way toward helping any small business grow their organizational productivity.
In a study conducted by Capterra, small business owners of 699 different companies were polled to see what technologies they considered mandatory for the small business. The top four were: Data & Information Security, Website, Cloud Computing, and a Customer Relationship Management system. Let’s take a brief look at each to see just what makes them so important for the bourgeoning small business.
Data & Information Security
It’s no surprise that data and information security is at the top of this list. The use of technology will always present risk, as some people continually try to subvert secure data systems through the use of shady techniques and other plans to make off with anything of value. While the data security market covers a lot of ground, it is important to protect your organization’s data from several avenues of theft. One is directly, so you’ll want a firewall and antivirus software to ensure that threats from outside your network don’t just come and go as they please. The other is through deception. Since a lot of today’s digital security solutions are extraordinarily complex, today’s hackers need some help. They typically get it through trickery, so while comprehensive network security solutions are useful, training your staff on the best practices of network security and over-IP communications is essential.
The best way to protect your organization’s data is by implementing a feature-rich backup and recovery platform. Backing up your data and storing it offsite can be extraordinarily useful if you do end up dealing with hardware failure (or some other event that could put your data at risk). Being able to safely restore your data can ward against many potential problems.
Dynamic Website
With the advent of social media, almost every business has some type of web presence. It is important that a small business use the Internet to make headway with their sales processes and one of the best ways to do that is by creating a website that offers customers and prospects a glimpse of your authority.
Rolling out a dynamic, pithily-constructed, and uncomplicated-to-use website can be of great benefit to every small business. By giving your customers e-commerce options or other innovative features on your website, there is a better chance that they will engage with your company.
Cloud Computing
Everyone is using cloud computing, and as a result more businesses are beginning to leverage it in order to shift their expenses. The cloud’s value comes from dispersing cost. Typically when a business has to buy new hardware, it will purchase everything they need and it can cost into the six-digits to get started. With the cloud, you can disperse that cost over the length of an agreement with a cloud provider.
An additional benefit is that it offers quick setup and access to all types of computing environments. From full-scale virtual infrastructure to communication, the cloud offers a lot of options. Cloud constructs do come in private (which an organization hosts) and public (which is hosted elsewhere). Many businesses today choose to roll out hybrid options, utilizing public cloud resources for certain types of computing (such as communications), while creating a private cloud platform that hosts resources that need more security and access control.
Customer Relationship Management
Customer Relationship Management software is a management platform that bridges all aspects of a business. From the sales process to the actual operations of your company to the fulfillment and support of your products and services, it’s very beneficial to have one overreaching interface to use in order to oversee the whole process and cut out the gaps in the customer conversion process.
There are a few different forms that the CRM comes in. Some CRMs are created for certain vertical markets, while some can be used by any business. When a small business runs their operations through a CRM, not only do they benefit from the time-saving automation the software provides, they also can view and generate better ideas and make more educated decisions. The CRM can innovate and improve your business’ sales workflow.
If you are looking for ways to improve your business, look no further than ClearView IT. We can present you with the options that can best meet your organization’s needs. Call us today at 866-326-7214.
