In today’s digital landscape, IT infrastructure is more important than ever before. The right IT environment drives innovation, collaboration, and productivity by connecting people, processes, and technologies.Â
However, ineffective IT infrastructure can lead to costly downtime, workflow bottlenecks, security risks, and more. If you’re experiencing any unexpected difficulties, it may be time to take a closer look at your IT infrastructure.Â
Systems are slow
One of the biggest signs that your IT needs help is if it’s slow. Whether your employees are struggling to access their email, or customers are experiencing web site slowness, a system running slowly can cause inconvenience, frustration, and low productivity.Â
A slow network can also decrease your IT security, as less bandwidth means less security. A slow system might be overloaded. If you’ve experienced significant growth in the last year, your system might not have the capacity to handle the extra work.Â
Productivity has dropped
If employees are struggling to access critical information or failing to complete tasks, it could be a sign that your infrastructure isn’t keeping up with your business. A drop in productivity may mean you need to upgrade your infrastructure to handle larger workloads.
When software applications are not compatible with your systems, your employees’ workflow will be interrupted and time will be wasted. You can also check to see if your employees are using the right tools for their job. If they aren’t, it could be due to insufficient infrastructure.
Downtime has increased
Downtime happens occasionally, but if it’s occurring regularly and consistently, it could be a sign that your infrastructure is not up to the task. This can result in employees having trouble accessing critical software, which can cause a disruption in workflow and hurt productivity – and your bottom line. While it varies from business to business, it’s estimated downtime costs small Australian businesses an average of $7,011 per minute.
If your computers don’t have enough processing power, they could struggle to process everything they need to do – leading to downtime and frustration for your employees.
Servers keep crashing
When you have a server that keeps crashing, it’s not just frustrating for yourself – it can also be worrisome for your business. Not only is downtime expensive, but it also means that you’re missing out on key data and that people are spending time trying to troubleshoot the issue.Â
To prevent this from happening, it’s important to ensure that your IT infrastructure is in tip-top shape. For this, you can outsource your IT needs to a managed service provider, or take the time to regularly monitor your servers and make sure that they’re running smoothly.
Tech is incompatible
Tech incompatibility can be a sign that you’re not on the right wavelength when it comes to your IT. If your tech is incompatible with an existing device, it means you need to get your tech upgraded, updated, or changed to work.Â
It’s important that you have the right IT infrastructure in place so you can run all of your technology effectively. A poor IT setup could put an undue strain on your entire IT environment. It’s also important to keep in mind that compatibility issues could be a sign that there’s a problem with your infrastructure, such as a security breach or a clogged network.
Your employees are frustrated
Constant issues with IT – slow systems, apps that keep crashing, a lack of space to save important documents – spell increasing frustration for those who have to deal with them. In this case, your employees. If your staff is unhappy with their working environment, you could risk even lower productivity or a high turnover rate.
Ensuring your employees have the right IT to conduct their daily tasks is not only paramount to your business success, but the smooth running of your internal operations.Â
Energy bills are rising
If you’ve noticed your energy bills are going up, it’s important to find out why power usage is increasing. Is there an increase in the number of devices connected to your network? Are you using more applications?
The first step in determining if you need help with IT infrastructure is to take a look at your energy usage. A significant increase means it’s time to start looking into ways that can save you money and get you back on track.
Discover the right IT solutions
No matter what industry you’re in, you can’t afford to ignore the warning signs of an inefficient IT infrastructure. If your systems are slow, if your servers keep crashing, or if your employees are spending more time doing administrative tasks than creative work, you need to pinpoint what’s causing issues with your IT infrastructure, and find solutions to remedy the problems.
The IT experts at Steadfast Solutions can conduct an audit of your business’ IT infrastructure to determine where you’re having issues, advise you on the best solutions to get you back on track, and implement any services you need to optimise your IT environment.
