This time of year, we hear a lot about the topic of productivity. The same is true for goals. As a professional services company specializing in technology, we want to help you cut through the noise of the numerous tools, especially software, that exist for business productivity.
In fact, one of our goals this year is to educate clients on the tech stack we implement within our managed services. If we recommend (and utilize) a tool, we believe you should know why and how to fully adopt it so you can maximize its benefits. We hope you will continue to follow along in 2022 as we create in-depth resources to educate on specific software.
It is also our goal – every year – to ensure our clients’ businesses remain secure, compliant, and operationally efficient. That will always be our mission.
In honor of the new year, we decided to share 5 ways our team has improved its productivity over the years. Some of our tech stack is referenced in the points below. However, other recommendations are just practices we believe in.
1. Microsoft Teams
This kind of collaborative software has been critical the past few years and will continue to be in 2022. If you haven’t tried it before, this allows you to set up your team’s virtual space so you have everything in one place that you need to work together. This is especially helpful for larger enterprises or hybrid work environments where collaboration and communication might otherwise be hindered. We recommend Microsoft Team’s virtual and interactive video conferencing capabilities for its security, compliance, and privacy. Many other virtual meeting tools cannot offer this kind of management.
2. Up-to-Date Hardware
This productivity recommendation is not a product but a practice. You may think the statement is unnecessary but it’s actually one of the first tips that came to our mind. Change is hard and it’s human nature to avoid it. However, you don’t want to wait until something breaks to upgrade. Unscheduled downtime is a huge obstacle to productivity!
Of course, we recommend updated software too, but the reason we focused on hardware is because the performance of old devices will struggle and eventually fail to keep up with the continuous software upgrades. You can only ensure best practices with software when it’s aligned with reliable hardware.
To back our point on software – and our reference to virtual work above – there’s been a 148% increase in ransomware attacks since the beginning of the pandemic. Remote work will stick around in 2022 which is why business leaders must empower employees with the best software, hardware, and training on the best way to use them.
3. Cisco Meraki
Cisco Meraki’s network infrastructure enables any employee to move between workspaces securely. Besides the obvious security of company data and employee work, this software also helps with productivity in the following ways:
- Leverages proactive mitigation of performance bottlenecks
- Faster response times via native integration for trouble-ticketing and service management
- Provides faster application validation and issue resolution for employees
- Protects personal devices with contextual insights via the cloud
We trust this solution. That’s why we utilize it within our own team and for our managed services clients.
4. Streamlined, Real-Time Reporting
Leaders lead well when they have an accurate picture of their department’s assets and output. It also helps if “the right hand knows what the left is doing.” That’s why in recent years we began offering services focused entirely on data reporting and analytics. Simply put, this begins with finding and connecting all your data points from every facet of your business in one place and in real-time so you and your key players can utilize it.
Imagine being able to gather insights more easily that lead to quicker decisions that lead to better results, whether that means faster production, less waste, or increased revenue. Hopefully all three!
5. An Emphasis on Culture
We’ve seen our company adapt and grow for over 25 years through a willingness to carefully develop and uphold company culture. No matter the initiative, we believe our employees do their best work when they embody our foundational values. They will serve clients well and find solutions to problems not just because they’ve been given a trendy method to use but because they possess the right mindset. Don’t be afraid to prioritize company culture in 2022. We believe you will reap benefits from it for years to come.
Let us know if you find these recommendations helpful! If you have other questions about how our team works or software we recommend, please reach out to us!
