Between hardware and document solutions, IT services and more, companies are working with lots of vendors for the various technology solutions that form their business infrastructure. However, different vendors have their own agendas, which can make it difficult for an organization to follow its own technology roadmap.
“Without a roadmap, companies aren’t looking at the bigger picture, nor are they planning ahead,” says Jessica Dynia, Sales Manager at Blue Technologies, Inc. “It’s hard for organizations to achieve their goals and initiatives when they take a piecemeal approach.”
Smart Business spoke with Dynia about the importance of a roadmap when it comes to total office technology solutions.
What is affecting organizations’ technology solutions?
As work from home has become widespread, organizations have had to consider issues that they haven’t had to think about in the past. Employees need to access everything that they’d typically only have in the office — printers, for instance — and communicate easily with their team.
Many solutions that were quickly implemented during COVID have stayed, but they’re not necessarily accounted for in their larger solutions plan. Now that these tools have become part of the day-to-day, organizations need to be aware of how they’re utilizing and managing those different tools, understand whether they’re working well with existing hardware or planned upgrades, and if they’re the best fit for the new workflows companies have.
As organizations plan their budgets for the coming year, having a roadmap for enterprise-wide technology solutions can help them understand how to prioritize spending on their IT initiatives as a whole, rather than in partial, unconnected measures over time.
Why is a roadmap important?
Many hardware solutions link with software. So, while it might seem like all an organization needs today is a new copier, how that fits both within its existing software and future needs should be considered before making a purchase. For example, there may be bottlenecks to address, departmental needs that the organization wants to take into account, or a drop in usage that makes replacement unnecessary. With a total solutions approach, a single vendor can understand future implementation needs within a broader print management program to control the spend while addressing changes in need.
When examined through the lens of total office technology solutions, organizations can see how hardware, software, and enterprise initiatives integrate together. They can also understand their vulnerabilities. Everything within an organization’s technology solution widens its attack surface. So, every roadmap should include a cybersecurity plan as well as backup and disaster recovery strategies. Having one provider can help organizations streamline their security plan and ensure the right decisions are being made across the board.
Who can help companies stick to their roadmap?
Working with one managed IT vendor helps organizations stick to their technology roadmap. New pieces are systematically added as outdated tech is replaced and details regarding how technologies are linked, integrated and fit within the company’s larger solutions management are better kept. When dealing with separate vendors, each might have a roadmap, none of which takes the others into account, creating challenges to implementing a total office technology solution.
Creating the right implementations means everyone involved needs to be on the same page, otherwise, cost efficiencies can’t be achieved. There are total solutions providers who have all of the offerings organizations need. Talking with such a provider about current bottlenecks as well as upcoming initiatives can lead to the discovery of solutions to address them.
Organizations should examine their vendor relationships. Are they’re being kept up to date on the latest offerings? Have they conducted a review in the past year to ensure that pain points have been addressed and new initiatives are being properly supported? If not, talk with a vendor who can be more of a partner rather than an order taker. ●
INSIGHTS Technology is brought to you by Blue Technologies, Inc.
