Running a successful business requires utilising technology in some form or other, whether it’s throughout the business (from production to after-sales), or simply for customer service, there will always be some element of technology involved – and generally, the more tech required, the more problems there are, if you aren’t prepared to handle them. Five of the most common challenges of integrating modern technology in business include:
Data Security
Keeping data secure isn’t just something that companies do because it’s right, it’s a legal obligation, and failing to ensure that data security can come with some pretty hefty penalties and legal consequences.
Data security isn’t just about keeping customer details safe (although that is part of it), it also involves complying with regulations and legalities, ensuring structures in the company are fit for purpose (and aren’t going to be breached), and having robust processes and protocols for handling, managing, and disposing of data when necessary.
Data has to be protected from unauthorised access, external sources, internal users mishandling it, and corruption through the programs themselves.
Integrations and Upgrades
As your business grows and evolves, the technology supporting it is going to get more complex, and it’s likely that you’ll need different tools, apps, software, and processes to get the results you need.
Businesses who were slow to embrace digital technology will be able to attest to how difficult and expensive it is to not regularly update, and how integration and upgrading of platforms and services at regular intervals can make the process much simpler and easy to manage.
It is especially important that business-critical software and tools are identified, and these are updated on a regular basis – the last thing your business needs is to come to a grinding halt because it’s operating on a technology that’s now obsolete, and has now broken down and can’t be replaced!