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The recently concluded 2023 Consumer Electronics Show showcased a wide range of gadgets and electronics – from personal health and entertainment to “smart” home energy-saving devices. The theme at CES may be “shiny, fun and easy to buy,” but for many businesses in 2023 — struggling with rising costs and supply chain challenges — the theme will likely be “do more with what you have.” I got it.”
We see this trend in conversations with clients who are looking to a managed IT support provider to help them do more with their existing assets. Often, the initiative can start by helping companies take advantage of the features their software offers. For example, Windows 11 — the first major release of Microsoft’s operating system in October 2021 — is a free, powerful update for any Windows 10 device that meets certain system requirements. But many users still haven’t used the update.
Additionally, many businesses – of all sizes – subscribe to Microsoft 365 but don’t yet know the many collaboration, planning, scheduling, and other apps included with their subscription. Why not check them out and use them?
This issue, making IT assets more than businesses already have, should not be seen as an isolated concern. Instead, from an IT support services organization perspective, we see a correlation between a lack of asset-focused perspective and the tendency of many business owners – typically creative, entrepreneurial and visionary – to sometimes suffer from tunnel vision.
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This trend seems particularly pronounced right now, when airlines are filled with gloom-and-doom predictions about everything from the economic outlook and the collapse of “hard landings” to massive layoffs at some tech companies. Entrepreneurs must always be aware of what is going on in the wider ecosystem and be prepared to respond appropriately, but it is very easy to become overwhelmed and frustrated. For example, the jitters of big tech and other companies don’t always match the smaller, more streamlined business experience. As Amazon plans to cut a record 18,000 jobs, many small businesses are reporting healthy returns and trying to fill positions instead of cutting them.
The danger is that just as business owners who overlook the potential of existing software can drive up unnecessary costs and stifle revenue growth, entrepreneurs who “feed the negative beast” can miss out on future opportunities by focusing on flaws instead of opportunities.
Pursuing a path of growth, rather than standing still or retreating, starts from a certain mindset: a view of inflation and supply chain instability without being defined or constrained by them. Instead, visionary entrepreneurs deploy their energies productively, take inventory of their assets, and then find ways to deploy them effectively to maximize their positive impact.
In an IT department, for example, this process can involve reaching out to vendors and discussing ways to leverage the capabilities of an organization’s existing software to the next level, rather than buying flashy things. In our experience, an expertly structured “okay” product beats an ineffectively structured premium product out the door every time.
A customer-centric managed IT service provider, for example, might have an internal customer improvement program where each software engineer is encouraged to spend up to 20% of their time each week focusing on ways to help customers do more with what they have. Communicate these forward-looking improvements to customers and develop improvements and enhancements that deliver improved results to ensure they realize the maximum benefit. Just as many IT users do not realize the full potential of their Windows system, a professional IT support services firm can help their customers realize the full potential of their IT assets.
Mazanti
Businesses can leverage capabilities such as automated bots (automated programs on the Internet or other networks that can interact with systems or users), artificial intelligence, or DNS configurations (Domain Name System IP addresses), allowing them to do more without incurring additional costs. .
To paraphrase the poet Robert Branning, one’s reach should be beyond their means—and business owners who work with their IT service providers can maximize their reach while staying within their budget.
Carl Mazzanti is president of Imazanti Technologies in Hoboken.
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