More than half of tech decision-makers say technology at their organization hinders the adoption of new technologies. But sometimes it’s hard to see when it’s time to move on, even when the signs are right under your nose. Look for these clues to see if you might need a technology refresh.
- If duct tape is holding any of your equipment together… you might need a refresh. Duct tape is a less-than-ideal temporary workaround, let alone long-term solution. You also don’t want to risk having customers think your company applies similar standards to your products and services.
- If you find yourself fixing the same equipment over and over… you might need a refresh. Is maintaining your organization’s technology solutions a lot like Groundhog Day? Do you worry you might spend the rest of your working days requesting repairs on the same solutions?
- If employees are video conference by using FaceTime on their iPhones… you might need a refresh. Some consumer devices may be great at home, but they aren't always cut out for executive board meetings at enterprise organizations.
- If the person who specified your system hasn’t worked there for five years—and it hasn’t been updated… you might need a refresh. It’s likely that there are much better solutions ready to take its place. Employees don’t like using old technology anyway, and they want new capabilities.
- If your conference room table looks like Grandma’s coffee table—with three remote controls… you might need a refresh. Trying to figure out which remote control works for your display (and finding that some don’t seem to work with anything) does not instill confidence during an important meeting. If your rooms are ruled by chaos, you can get them under control with new technology.
- If you have a SIP phone on your conference table… you might need a refresh. With video conferencing made so easy with soft codecs, why bother with an actual phone?
- If you schedule conference rooms with sticky notes on the door… you might need a refresh. There’s no need to walk to a room to reserve it, and there are no excuses for double-booked rooms. And room-scheduling technology won’t conveniently “blow away,” like a sticky note might.
- If your projector displays a 4:3 aspect ratio… you might need a refresh. With widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) the standard, there’s no reason to view images with annoying black bars.
- If all your employees come into the office for your monthly staff meeting… you might need a refresh. With all the video conferencing and collaboration technology available, unless you’re doing “trust falls,” there’s no work-related reason remote workers need to make a special trip to the office. You may still want to see each other, but at least you’ll know that’s because you enjoy each other’s company.
- If your employees use flip charts and markers during meetings… you might need a refresh. All-in-one solutions now allow workers to present, capture and distribute content with ease -- no physical markers needed.
- If you find yourself humming along to your service provider’s hold music because you know it so well… you might need a refresh. Frequent repairs or replacements of the same pieces of equipment could mean you need a different solution altogether.
Refreshing your communications and collaboration technology solutions is a balancing act between needs, wants, and budget. Employees want new technologies, executives want to know the ROI, and the budget department wants to stretch every dollar. If you can relate to any of the above scenarios, though, it may be time to take a more serious assessment.
