Common Causes of IT Failure 2021
Fear of failure prevents businesses of all shapes and sizes from disrupting their marketplace. This fact may be more true when it comes to IT infrastructure than any other component of a given organization’s operations. If you remove this fear of failure, you open the floodgates for innovation. But first, we must identify the most common causes, and they are not as complicated as you may think. Let’s review.
5 Most Common Failures (and Precursors to Failure) in IT Infrastructure and How IT Support Can Clear the Path for Success
I. Failure to Accept Necessity of Digital Transformation
No organization can completely ignore the necessity of IT in 2021 and on. That’s a given. The issue however, is that many companies are integrating technology in a manner that is just enough to get by. Getting by doesn’t cut it anymore.
Need an example of doing “just enough”? Look no further than cybersecurity. Every organization subscribes to some form of antivirus technology to protect their systems, but with an estimated 350,000 new malware strains being produced every single day, that sort of defense system is far from adequate to protect your digital assets. Instead, your company must begin using software that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to adapt in real-time to the new threats that seek to hamper your operations. Again, this is just one example of how your company may not being securing software as a service (SaaS) that could not only protect operations, but create new opportunities in departments such as marketing, human resources, and more.
Consider acceptance of digital transformation as a mission-critical call to action.
II. Failure to Lead by Example
Once you’ve accepted the necessity of digital transformation, there is one figurehead that must lead the charge – YOU. A lack of leadership and sponsorship from C-level executives is the most defined precursor to IT failure. How can the any company and even end consumer (more on this below) be expected to get on board with new initiatives when their presidents, VPs, CEOs, and COOs don’t champion them? How can a company achieve companywide adoption when the boss simply dictates yet doesn’t show that they too are adapting to new tech? Business owners and top-level management must lead digital transformation by example. View more on how IT begins with C-level executives.
III. Failure to Get Buy-In from Staff and Stakeholders
Adoption and buy-in from staff and stakeholders is extremely important as they are the ones who will be using new technological innovations. Companies can’t just drop new hardware and software on their laps. While it’s logical that companywide training must be provided prior to the inception of new tech, organizations that hope to really promote adoption should involve staff and stakeholders earlier in the process. Conduct surveys within your organization to find out what they need to better do their job and service customers/clients. This will not only help you identify what to look for in new hardware and software, it will show employees that you value their input which greatly increases the likelihood of buy-in once you introduce the technology. In fact, they will be downright excited about it!
Make sure that the training is also ongoing. This is very important as systems are upgraded (more on this below) and also helps to provide a refresher for those who don’t use new tech on a daily, weekly, monthly, or even quarterly basis.
It’s also important to recognize that customers/clients are counted as stakeholders in some innovations, especially when it impacts the end-product or service. If there is any sort of learning curve on their end, be proactive and provide them with training be it via a YouTube tutorial, an infographic, or other communication that is appropriate to your relationship with them as consumers. This will also give you a new opportunity to engage with them, and show them that you are keeping a step ahead of the competition.
IV. Failure to Update
This is the most practical reason for IT failure, but as such it is also the most practical preventative measure. Technology is constantly evolving, and providers of IT hardware and software alike are innovating in real-time. This means that there may be frequent updates to software that helps run the hardware, along with applications themselves. Just like the public often puts off an update to their laptops or smartphones, businesses too are often guilty of procrastination. However, the consequence to a business is much more dire, as failure to update software and antiquated hardware can result in cybercrime intrusion, IoT outages, loss of data, disruption of workflows, and much more. For every technology that you introduce into your IT environment there are alerts and settings in place to ensure that your tech is updated and upgraded in real-time. Make sure that these occur automatically, and that interconnected systems are prepared to work with the updates. The latter is a little more complicated, which leads to the next point.
V. Failure to Get Help
While everything above seems pretty logical upon review, it’s also fairly daunting. Introducing new technology, educating yourself (C-level exec), training staff, and ensuring updates to hardware and software are done in real-time takes time and resources that you prefer (or must) dedicate to normal day to day operations – the ones that directly drive revenue. Taking on IT on your own, even with in-house IT, is often biting off more than your company can chew. By investing in IT support you will alleviate the burden of everything that we have discussed today. We know that your resistance to doing so may come from the fact that you have IT personnel on staff. Don’t worry, as outside IT support won’t step on any internal toes. Instead it can serve as an important supplement to the great work that your team already doing. View more about how to support your in-house IT staff.
Contact SAV Technology today to put an end to your fear of failure and clear the path to the most innovative year (and beyond) that your company has ever experienced.