Modern businesses are more reliant on technology than ever before. If this technology breaks, it can bring a whole business to its knees by stalling trade and causing costly downtime. Here is how you can prevent faulty technology from breaking your business.
Read reviews when buying equipment/software
Think twice before skimping on cheap equipment and software. Whilst you can find tools that are affordable and reliable, the large majority of cheap stuff is cheaply made and therefore not suitable for the demands of a professional business. To ensure you buy technology that is affordable and reliable, you should always read reviews online. This could include professional reviews and user reviews. You should also check that a seller is reputable, especially when buying second-hand. Read company reviews from customers to see what other people think of the seller.
Get on the cloud
If you’re still keeping all your files on a computer hard drive, you may want to consider embracing the cloud. Storing all your files remotely on a cloud server allows you access these files from any device. If a computer breaks or is stolen, you won’t lose your files as they’ll be on the cloud and not the machine’s hard-drive. Even if you’re just using the cloud as a backup option, it’s far more secure than having everything stored locally.
Install a backup generator
Power cuts can make it impossible for many modern businesses to function. In retail outlets, it’s likely tills won’t work and you won’t be able to process cards, which isn’t very efficient these days given that few people carry cash any more. In a modern office, everything from computers to phones may be electronic, making it impossible to do any work. Installing a backup generator could allow you to still operate during a power cut. This could be a petrol generator or a solar generator -the latter could even be used as a permanent supplement to save you money on your energy bills.
Upgrade your wi-fi
Having a good wi-fi connection is also key in this day and age. Poor wi-fi could result in being cut off from Skype meetings or being unable to access files on a cloud server. Look for the best connection that you can buy. You could even consider a backup wi-fi source for when there may be a fault with your provider. You can even buy a pay-as-you-go wi-fi adaptor to plug into a laptop, allowing you to work online on the go from any location.
Service your machines
To prevent machines breaking, it’s worth keeping them regularly serviced. Results of each service could be recorded in a logbook allowing you pick up faults quickly and fix them before they become serious. Some machines are able to service themselves, providing real-time analytics that can be accessed at any time and alerting you whenever there’s a fault. Make sure that you’re responding to faults when they are picked up, otherwise servicing these machines is useless.
Monitor your networks
If your company uses multiple networks, it could be worth monitoring these networks with software to check for problems so that you can react to them quickly. Not sure where to buy networking monitoring software? You can usually download these network monitoring programmes from the web. Many companies will have free trials and product demos that could allow you to test out the programme to see if it’s right for you.
Have a technician on call
It could be worth also finding a local technician who you can call upon when things go wrong. Being able to call someone out quickly could help to keep things running smoothly. You may be able to outsource an IT support company to help fix bugs and glitches.
Consider business interruption insurance
One option for dealing with downtime as a result of technology faults could be to take out business interruption insurance. This won’t keep your business functioning, however it could allow you to claim compensation to help fund you whilst your business is down. If an important piece of machinery breaks due to no fault of your own and you have no money to replace it, this insurance could also help fund a replacement.
