A common dilemma faced by most small business owners is staying current and relevant in technology deployment. But what do we mean by staying current? Do we talk about hardware/software assets being retired at a certain age? Are operating systems, patch management, and virus definitions continuously updated and maintained?
I would say that staying current in technology within the small and medium business sector involves maintaining a baseline standard of hardware, software, operating systems, and other vital pieces of this infrastructure so that systems can be updated and managed properly and securely and the functionality of the technology meets the day to day needs of the organization.
A current example of a massive failure on staying current in technology could be seen in the popular Microsoft operating system Windows XP. In early April of 2014 Microsoft declared this desktop operating system obsolete. This meant that Microsoft would no longer provide new security and functionality patches on a regular basis in essence rendering this operating system more vulnerable to attack by hackers or other targeted exploits. However in spite of massive announcements about this planned product obsolescence Net Applications indicated that almost 28% of desktop users were still deploying Windows XP in March of 2014.
So how does a business owner maintain a baseline of IT functionality without breaking the bank? In future weeks we will examine IT budgeting, planning strategies, and new technologies coming into play that all can help with this process. Stay tuned…
“Rich Tear has been helping provide IT solutions to San Diego businesses since 1985.”