In an attempt to adapt to the evolving technology landscape and changes wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies invested in solutions that may not be helping them achieve their long-term goals.

Are you one of them? If so, you’re in good company.

The rapid growth of technology shows no signs of slowing, and businesses have gradually begun to adjust to the “new normal.” Small and medium-sized businesses are realizing that if they want to provide a competitive level of service to both customers and employees, they must keep up with current trends that support their goals and vision.

Staying current with technology is critical for many reasons. Here are just a few:

• Gathering all necessary tools that work together saves time and effort and increases overall efficiency.
• Streamlined technologies and processes can help you increase productivity through an improved employee experience.
• You have the opportunity to ramp up security by removing obsolete technology that no longer receives crucial security patches.

However, it’s important to focus on smart tech acceleration, rather than just speed. Let’s dig into what that looks like.

What Does It Mean To Say That Tech Acceleration Is “Smart”?

Like many other companies, your organization has probably seen a lot of changes over the past two years. When the pandemic began, businesses had to make rapid decisions overnight in order to deploy tools for remote work and collaboration to adapt to COVID-19 restrictions and keep employees and customers safe.

While these digital solutions might have helped businesses like yours survive during a period of great uncertainty, they may have been inadequately integrated with existing systems, or they may no longer fulfill your objectives and vision.

It’s time for tech acceleration that considers your company’s long-term strategy, market trends, and the role technology can play in furthering your key initiatives.

While typical tech acceleration involves fast implementations that fix short-term issues, smart tech acceleration focuses on implementing technology that supports an organization’s long-term goals and vision.

Forrester Predictions 2022 notes that investment in smart infrastructure will likely increase 40% in 2022. This demonstrates that many organizations understand the importance of effective technology acceleration.

Smarter, more effective tech acceleration also highlights the importance of technology in terms of customer experience and employee retention.

Forrester reports that only 30% of businesses will make a full return to the office, with the remaining 70% either going fully remote or experimenting with hybrid options. In this environment, seismic shifts in customer and staff retention patterns could occur if quick acceleration gets prioritized over a long-term strategy.

Rushed changes and fast solutions may not serve your employees and customers well.

Three Ways Smart Tech Acceleration Supports Long-Term Business Growth

Smart, effective tech acceleration will improve the experience of employees and customers and support your organization’s growth over the long term. It does this in three main ways:

1. Identifying vendor partners who align with your values. In the day-to-day running of your business, you need to collaborate with several vendors to perform various tasks. Effective tech acceleration insists on identifying partners who align with your values and are innovative enough to contribute to your future roadmap. This is crucial to avoid having to find a substitute in the middle of a project if you run into issues with a vendor.
2. Making it easier to connect new solutions to existing IT infrastructure. Smarter tech acceleration advocates for integration to improve business operations. A centralized infrastructure boosts the efficiency of information sharing and workflows, resulting in higher productivity. It also reduces operational expenses, improves overall response time, and guarantees information is easily accessible when needed.
3. Securing growth through KPI improvements. Focusing on key performance indicator (KPI) improvements rather than quick, reactionary installations ensures your organization’s growth.

If you don’t invest in long-overdue technological upgrades, you could lose prospects to your competition. It’s important to distance yourself from quick fixes that won’t help you meet your goals and instead focus on investments for long-term productivity and operational success.

Have an Expert Like SOL-I.S. by Your Side

It’s difficult to walk the path of smart tech acceleration alone. As an expert MSP, SOL-I.S. can come alongside your organization to take that pressure from your shoulders. We’ll manage your IT so you don’t have to.

Contact us today for a no-obligation consultation.

To learn more, download our infographic “How Smart Tech Acceleration Fuels SMB Success”.