Technology plays a vital role in today’s business world. In fact, it might be the single most important driving force behind progress in a wide range of industries.
With the help of technology, companies are finding it easier to communicate with customers, improve their operation efficiency, and generate new ideas that propel the business forward.
However, the pace at which information and business technology are moving forward is hard to keep up with. Systems and solutions that were cutting-edge just a few years ago are now becoming obsolete and are quickly being replaced by more advanced or more convenient solutions.
Because of that, improving the digital infrastructure is a continuous task that businesses need to focus on.
According to a study by Prolifics, application modernization can improve productivity, optimize costs, provide a better experience for the customers, and help gain an advantage over the competition.
So, to help you get started, let’s go over some of the most critical aspects of improving your company’s digital infrastructure.
Make Value-Based Decisions
Even though modernizing your company’s digital technology almost always delivers positive results, clearly establishing your priorities is essential if you want to achieve the best results.
There’s a finite amount of time and resources that a company can allocate towards upgrading their digital infrastructure, so having a way of prioritizing different areas is essential.
And a simple strategy for ensuring that you’re always making the right choice is to look at the potential changes from a value-based perspective.
When you are considering a new technology that you could adopt, identify the specific value that the change could bring in your current situation.
First off, look at how your modernization efforts could provide a better experience for your customers. Technology is rapidly changing each year, so taking advantage of new developments can ensure that your customer expectations are met.
Another important consideration when looking at potential digital infrastructure updates is how it can impact your internal operations. If a newer software solution or app could help your team communicate more efficiently, react to changes with more accuracy, or even understand your audience better, all of those benefits can serve as indications on which direction you should focus on.
Finally, newer technology can help you offer better services or develop better products. Sometimes, a company’s main limitation might be inferior technology, preventing them from expanding or improving their margins.
If you can solve a specific problem in your product development processes using digital infrastructure improvements, taking the leap to an overhaul of your current technology can become much more worthwhile.
Look for Simplification Opportunities
One of the most significant drawbacks that plagued many legacy business solutions is their poor user experience and lack of convenience.
Even if the tools and functionality were useful, the way that they were structured, or the costs that they came with brought a range of issues that sometimes made companies wonder whether the effort was worth it.
Luckily, in recent years, cloud technology has made accessing top-quality digital solutions possible for even smaller businesses that couldn’t host their own infrastructure on-premises.
That gave early adopters of cloud-based digital infrastructure solutions a significant advantage over larger companies that were still on legacy systems. It provided not only more flexibility but enhanced functionality and ease-of-use that helped streamline various processes.
Therefore, when looking for opportunities to improve the technology used at your company, it’s always a good idea to look at how a specific option could help you simplify various processes, making the lives of your staff or your customers easier.
Finding opportunities to simplify without compromising on key functionality can be tricky. Still, many new business technology solutions have taken off precisely because they could combine these two essential goals.
As your company grows, you may be tempted to look at broader and more complex technological solutions. But while you should plan for the needs that you might have in the future, sacrificing flexibility and ease-of-use for features that aren’t essential is usually not worth the potential headaches that the implementation process can cause.
Look for Constructive Feedback
Making the right decisions when improving your digital infrastructure usually comes down to the knowledge and insights you can attain.
There will always be opportunities for changing to a different application, but if you blindly upgrade for the sake of doing it, you may find that at least some of those decisions aren’t met with positive reactions from your team and your customers.
This is why the first step in upgrading the technology your company uses should be to look inward and try to identify the most pressing issues you need to solve.
Talk to your team members and try to find out the biggest obstacles they face when performing daily tasks. Perhaps there’s a problem with the current set up that’s wasting a lot of their time? Or maybe the existing digital infrastructure lacks essential features that could result in a dramatic increase in efficiency?
You may also find that your current systems’ shortcomings can result in poor customer experience or avoidable obstacles that can put off part of your prospects.
But if you take the time to ask the right questions and understand your current situation, you may find that a seemingly simple and easy change can significantly boost how your company can operate.
Educate Your Team About the Changes
No matter how modern, technology will only be as useful as the ability of your team to make the most out of what it has to offer.
Because of that, when you finally decide to modernize your digital infrastructure and transition from legacy systems to new ones, you should spend as much time as necessary preparing an actionable plan for how your employees should adopt the new technology and incorporate it into their routine.
No matter how seamless the new technology might be, it will inevitably cause at least a moderate disruption to your daily workflow. Preparing for the switch in advance and educating your employees will ensure that the upgrade doesn’t cause a shock that could leave your business virtually paralyzed.
The good news is that most of today’s apps and software solutions make ease-of-use a top priority, so you won’t have to work through the challenges that companies were forced to deal with a decade or two ago.
However, make sure that you introduce the educational and support materials ahead of time and hold training sessions so that your team can get familiarized with the new solutions before having to make a permanent switch.
That way, once you finally fully implement the new technology, it will be met with excitement, as your team will have seen firsthand the tremendous opportunities it offers and will know exactly how to get the most out of the available features.
Final Words
Many companies are afraid of overhauling their digital infrastructure, mainly because of the disruption that it can cause, the costs involved, and the lack of knowledge about which options to go with.
However, with the help of the steps discussed above, you can minimize the risks associated with the process and ensure that you reap the benefits that today’s cutting-edge solutions can offer.
