Business Technology Insights

Small to medium-sized businesses in Ontario, Canada, operate in a highly competitive market. To become profitable it’s crucial that their internal processes are efficient, that they can minimize downtime and they can provide a world-class customer experience (CX).

As a small to medium-sized business, the investment you make into your IT infrastructure could be the difference between the successful operation of your business and struggling to compete with the competition.

According to IDG’s 2018 State of Digital Business Transformation, 55 percent of small businesses have already adopted a digital business strategy compared to 38 percent of traditional enterprises.

The good news? If you are part of that group of small firms which are revisiting their technology strategies and investing in new IT solutions to transition to a digital business solution, then you are perfectly set up for future growth.

At OT Group, we receive a large number of questions from businesses in regards to which printer they should choose for their office. Perhaps the most common question, however, is whether they should purchase or lease a printer.

Investing in a printer or photocopier is a big decision for any size business. You want to make it as cost-effective as possible, but at the same time, you want to ensure your company invests in the right technology to give your employees the tools they need to be productive.

Investing in your company’s IT strategy is more important now than it ever was before. An excellent IT infrastructure is now the foundation of any business, driving improvements to your internal operations as well as your customer-facing processes.

This is particularly true in Canada, where the small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) market is highly competitive. According to the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), there are almost 1.1 million SMEs in the country.

It’s more than likely that your organization has an important internet usage document that must be signed by all staff members during the onboarding stage of their employment.

This document allows your company to define the standards of appropriate internet usage, so your employees know exactly what is expected of them. However, a question we receive on a regular basis is - should my organization monitor and track the internet usage of employees as part of its IT strategy?

The technology industry is currently completely focused on the software as a service (SaaS) and cloud computing phenomenon. Despite this, many small to medium-sized businesses are only just becoming familiar with this type of technology and how it can benefit their business.

This trend will only grow in the future, with Gartner predicting that SaaS market revenues will grow to $113.1 billion by 2021.

Computer software and hardware are not designed to be built for life. Is this something you have taken into account in your IT strategy? Because many small, medium and large-sized businesses haven’t.

Technology evolves at a rapid speed, especially when your team is working remotely. Keeping up with these changes is the key to a cost-effective strategy that focuses on data security, business efficiencies, and improved productivity. All of these aspects improve the profitability of your business.

Today’s business world is saturated with companies offering the same, or incredibly similar, products and services. To stand out and remain competitive, it’s essential that your company’s internal processes are seamless and efficient - and your IT strategy is crucial to that.

Cloud computing offers cost-benefits, business efficiencies, easy scalability and many other competitive advantages that can transform your organization’s internal processes. Yet many businesses are still continuing to operate without it.

As a small to medium-sized business owner, you are probably told on a frequent basis that it’s important to backup your company’s data as part of your IT strategy. Some companies do it, others don’t.

However, has your organization ever thought about the consequences that a ransomware attack could have on your business?

Every small to medium-sized business (SMB) is started by a fantastic idea. Whether it’s targeting a gap in the market, the creation of a brand new product or the launch of a new service, to succeed in this highly competitive world your organization must have a unique selling point that makes you stand out over others within your industry.

However, that alone isn’t enough. Every great idea must be backed up by an experienced outsourced chief technical officer (CTO) that can implement the technology that aligns with your internal objectives, meets the expectations of customers and allows you to plan for the future.