Back to the Office: Auditing Tech and Adjusting your Business

Many businesses were not ready for the global health crisis we were plunged into and needed to adapt quickly.

Now that economies worldwide are reopening and businesses have started or are preparing to get back to the office, it becomes crucial to audit the technology that’s being used and adjust different parts of your business for the future.

Tech Auditing

Create and have an inventory of the technology you used while in work remote mode. Did you need to buy extra hardware for your employees that were or that will continue to work remotely? Have you invested in new apps and tools? Do you have an up to date list of who is using what, why and how?

From additional hardware, to cloud licenses, you need to audit all of the tech that your business is using and make a plan on how to maximize it going forward. Businesses had to adapt quickly to the new realities. By auditing your technology, you might find obsolete hardware, too many user licenses, overlap in tools, hybrid or on-premise solutions that should be addressed, etc. Knowing what you have and what you need will help yu plan for the future.

Technology being at the heart of almost any business, it is crucial that you look at every single investment in order to define and adjust to maximize your team’s productivity, your investments and the requirements that your business needs to remain competitive and thrive in the future.

Adjusting your Business

Many businesses had to take radical, immediate decision to survive and serve their customers during the pandemic, from hearth-breaking layoffs to product and services pivots and heavy online investments to drive sales online. Businesses of all sizes now need to address the return to the officeas well as the future.

The Office

Whether you are choosing to bring all of your employees back to the office or just part of your workforce, you need to plan accordingly:

• Perform a thorough office cleaning before reopening the doors
• Ensure you are practicing safety measures for everyone
• Develop traffic flow patterns, if required
• Merge work from home and office work realities
• Establish guidelines for group meetings and visitors
• Overcommunicate your efforts with your employees and make them feel safe
• Create a reclosure plan in case of another disaster, or a second wave of the pandemic

The People

Your employees and your clients are the most important aspect of your business and you need to address their safety concerns to create this future state of business success:

For your employees, make sure you:

• Have a a person or committee who is responsible for the return to the office and communication of your plans
• Overcommunicate the efforts and processes that are being put in place
• Establish a work from home policy, as many of them might be forced or might choose to stay at home
• Encourage safe practices
• Establish an open line of communication
• Create an environment that works for everyone and that will work in case of a reclosure

For your clients, you want to:

• Have honest business reviews, if you haven’t already
• Adjust to their current and future situation and needs
• Leverage business reviews and what you are learning from your clients to adjust your product or service offering
• Develop a plan with them in case of another disaster, or a second wave
• Plan for the future

The Business & The Technology

Businesses needed to quickly adapt to online sales, remote possibilities and products and services pivots to survive during the lockdown. That being said, chances are that we won’t go back to a pre-COVID reality, we will learn to live with a new reality where everyone has new fears and new expectations. Proper technology investments can make or break your business in the future and while your operations, people and clients represent important points of your business, make sure you adjust by leveraging technology.

• Are you leveraging cloud computing possibilities for the future? Cloud services are offering great possibilities for businesses in the future
• Have you looked at your data security efforts? The number of attacks and scams has been on a dramatic rise since the beginning of the pandemic and won’t stop. Is your clients’ data safe? How are you saving and sharing data internally? Is your staff aware of the risk and can they help with better data security?
• Should you invest in employee training? From the great new apps you might have been using to the cybersecurity risks being present, make sure you empower your people to become assets for your business.
• Do you have a business continuity plan if another disaster were to happen? Can your business be fully operational? What gaps have been exposed during this crisis?
• Do you have the right technology partner(s) to help your business thrive? Could you maximize your investments or reduce costs?

While the number of questions and number of meaningful decisions are endless, rest assured that you can count on MicroAge to help you make the right IT decisions to help your business thrive. Contact us today to speak with an expert.