As we stride into a new year, you may have plans in place to grow your business. But for those plans to come to fruition, you need to have the right technical foundations in place.
The IT infrastructure network that you installed several Years ago may no longer be appropriate for your company’s needs.
Perhaps you’ve adjusted to a mix of remote and hybrid working.
Maybe you’ve taken on new staff, and some departments have grown exponentially larger than others.
In our experience, small and medium sized businesses can be held back from progress because their IT systems are not agile enough to cope with changing needs. We only need to look back at the last two years to see how many small firms were unable to adapt to remote working to see how important it is to have the right IT infrastructure components in place.
At Lucid Systems, we believe that any business growth strategy should be managed in consultation with your IT department. As a managed service provider in Ipswich, we can work with your business development teams to ensure that you have the right IT system in place to help you achieve your goal.
More importantly, as an IT infrastructure provider we can also check that there isn’t anything within your system that could be holding you back.
Why IT infrastructure is important
Your IT infrastructure is everything that you use to manage your IT services. It can comprise your network, hardware, software, operating systems, and data backup options.
When everything is working well, each component will work together in harmony. However, trouble can arise when new devices are added to systems, new users are set up or third-party software options are installed that may have conflicts with other parts of the infrastructure. Added to the complexity are the issues caused by older, legacy systems that may no longer work as effectively as newer models. As individual parts of the infrastructure age, and technology (or business needs) change, your IT infrastructure may no longer work as effectively as it once did.
An underperforming IT infrastructure can cause unexpected downtime or create vulnerability issues. It can also prevent staff from working effectively. Therefore, its essential to regularly assess your IT infrastructure business needs to check that you have the right system in place.
How IT infrastructure helps in business growth
You want your business to grow and thrive. But with the wrong IT infrastructure components in place, you could be spending your IT budget in the wrong place.
Your technology infrastructure should help you achieve your goals. It should run smoothly, with minimal issues. It should be able to scale up or down as required and provide value for money. A well-designed IT infrastructure will simultaneously provide security and resilience, while also boosting your productivity and give you a competitive edge.
IT infrastructures and security
Your business needs to be responsive to online threats. You need to have a system that can identify potential risks and safeguard your data. You want your networks to have barriers in place that prevent any unauthorised access from escalating into potential harm.
With a well designed and proactively managed IT infrastructure, you can be confident that your systems are adhering to the latest patch updates and fixes. Minor glitches in your system could be catastrophic from a cybersecurity perspective. Therefore, you need to invest in a system that promises to keep your data, and your customer data secure and resilient to threats.
IT infrastructures and productivity
To get the best from your team, you need to have the right technology that allows individuals to work effectively, both as a team and as an individual. Your IT infrastructure should enable you to monitor and enhance your productivity levels. With minimal downtime, your team should be able to work collaboratively in a way that matches your business strategy.
If you’re looking to take on new staff, or launch new products or services, your IT system needs to be able to respond accordingly. Can you easily add new devices to your network without causing disruption elsewhere? Do you have the agility to use real-time data and analytics to bring new products to market quickly and easily?
Your productivity and agility need to be regularly assessed. Waiting until you have an IT-related issue could hinder your progress. Everything that you do to grow your business is about continual improvement, and we believe that this filters through to your IT infrastructure as well.
IT infrastructure and competitive edge
Have you ever wondered how some firms are so quick to react to changing trends? It could be because their IT infrastructure is agile and flexible enough that they can make quick decisions without having to identify if their IT system is able to cope.
Imagine that you need to add in a new piece of third-party software that allows you to add automation or AI to your website. Or maybe you want to invest in a new HR tool that will aid your HR team, or a new CRM for your sales team to use. By having a responsive IT infrastructure, you can feel confident that new additions to your network will work seamlessly, without issues arising elsewhere. What’s more, with an IT infrastructure that allows you to work collaboratively with other departments (or external parties), you can improve the end service that you provide to your customers. With better technical integration, you have more chance to generating more revenue and outperforming your competitors.
Lucid Systems can help you improve your IT infrastructure
As IT infrastructure consultants we can work with you to identify your business priorities and proactive manage your technical foundations so that you have a lasting system that is adaptive and responsive to your changing needs. Our approach is to establish what technical aspects you need now, as well as to ensure that your system is fit for the future.
We can work alongside your internal IT teams and business development teams to help you make the most of your IT infrastructure. Alternatively, we can provide end-to-end project management services, helping you to upgrade your IT systems quickly and with minimal disruption.
To find out more about our IT infrastructure services and how we support clients in Ipswich, Norwich and Bury St Edmunds, please get in touch.
