A consulting firm recently surveyed 412 technology and business professionals responsible for the technology needs of small (99 or fewer employees) and small mid-market (100 to 250 employees) organizations in North America.
For most companies, outsourcing IT is the right option.
When technology is not a core competency in your company, it will quietly and invisibly bleed your time and money if not managed effectively. Costs are reactive and quietly pile up with every issue you face. Before long, technology costs become a money pit that offer little to no return back to your companies' success.
Many organizations do not have the want or need to employ an internal IT organization. Inevitably, someone in the company lacking qualification and time has to play the IT support part on a weekly basis and put out the fires. Every hour they spend on IT related issues is an hour they are not focused on strategic objectives they were hired to deliver. It is a silent productivity killer that consumes an average of 5-10 hours per week.
You wouldn't think that hackers are trying to get into your fridge, but they are (check out http://www.businessinsider.com/hackers-use-a-refridgerator-to-attack-businesses-2014-1).
Technology is often viewed as a necessary evil and lacks the appropriate strategy, budget and resources to be truly effective. It is often a reactive response to a proactive need and typically runs in a silo, rather than aligning to and driving business growth. Thus, the market is at a crossroads - you can no longer grow a business or lead a market without aligned technology, but you lack the time or resources to manage your technology effectively.
We already know what you are thinking - Technology as a competitive advantage? Impossible, right? Wrong.
In today's business world, technology drives growth.
As 2015 begins, some of us feel the motivation that comes along with a new year, while others resist making New Year's Resolutions. It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the New Year. However, true entrepreneurship requires productivity and motivation.
