The pandemic has forced business leaders in every industry to modernize at hyper-speed. As these recession-weary leaders determine where to cut expenses, though, some IT leaders are worried that tech might be on the chopping block. This article will debunk the idea that there is such a thing as “too much tech” and help CIOs understand how to determine which tech platforms and tools are keepers in a time when every decision counts.
It’s impressive that six numbers can cause so much fuss. Yet employees continue to push back against multi-factor authentication when logging into devices and systems. Some workers become downright hostile when it comes to embracing security measures put in place to protect everyone.
To be sure, technology can sometimes feel inconvenient. However, it’s far more convenient than being held ransom by a hacker because of a lack of security safeguards. Nevertheless, it can be tough for CIOs to hurdle this roadblock — especially when they’re faced with team members who treat tech and related security like a nice-to-have benefit rather than something they need to have.
The truth is that technology security isn’t just helpful; it’s vital to avoiding threats like phishing and social engineering. Social engineering, whereby a hacker impersonates an employee and tries to get others in the company to perform activities like sending wire transfers, has become an enormous problem. And that’s where “inconveniences” like multi-factor authentication come into play — not to mention other accounting checks and balances.
In the modern competitive corporate landscape, technology is inevitable, useful, and necessary despite fleeting security nuisances. This is why it’s so disconcerting that many companies are wavering on their commitment to invest in new technology, particularly since the advent of COVID-19.
How Technology Helps Businesses Grow
Many companies have increased their technology spending since March 2020, investing those resources to help remote employees get their home offices up and running safely and efficiently. When the pandemic hit, those funds came from line items like travel budgets that were no longer needed due to sheltering in place. Organizations also had to start spending more to add e-commerce to their service and sales options, fueling additions to their tech stacks.
In the months since, however, a troubling trend has started to develop: Little by little, enterprises are pulling back the reins on adding more technology to their bottom lines. They’ve begun to see tech as a money-drainer instead of a money-grower — a serious problem.
This logic is faulty as tech almost always helps grow profits when done properly. How? For one, implementing new technology options keeps companies from experiencing severe security threats and preventable exposure. A single breach can topple a company’s reputation and cost untold dollars to remedy.
Beyond that, technology can be a useful way to grow a business. A cocktail bar in my community leveraged technology during the darkest days of coronavirus to sell pre-mixed, canned drinks online. Without the right tech, they couldn’t have kept the lights on.
Even employees who gripe about security features appreciate working with new technology because it boosts their productivity and enables them to automate mundane tasks. When they’re forced to work with outdated tech, they tend to revert to using their personal computers and devices. This is problematic because it can cause productivity, communication, and security issues.
The bottom line? There’s no such thing as too much tech — or tech that’s wasteful. Most tech makes working easier, better, and more enjoyable. And although novel innovations can introduce security risks, it’s relatively easy to mitigate those challenges.
Now more than ever, CIO leaders have a responsibility to educate their teams on the ways technology can help their organisations expose and cultivate different channels for business. Certainly, these are tough times. That’s precisely why all survival measures need to be considered — including continuously adding more tech to the corporate toolkit to remain on the leading edge.
Evaluating the Impact of Technology on Your Business
Is your company wavering in its commitment to adopt technology because of expense-related concerns? You can help assuage employee and executive fears by ensuring that any platforms or systems you’re considering purchasing are “keepers.”
- Track use after implementing any technology.
Are workers adopting the technology or still doing things the old way? If you find that certain tech is going unused, find out why. Send out a survey to discover any problems. Is the tech not easy to use? Does it not mesh with employees’ responsibilities? Is it simply too foreign? After gathering responses, you can decide whether you need to replace the tech or perhaps offer additional training. - Track the impact that technology makes on your company.
After assessing use, you’ll want to capture data to show whether new technology has helped with overall efficiency, sales, lead generation, productivity, culture, employee morale, or other factors. Have you saved any money? You’ll want to investigate your pre-implementation ROI projections to use actual figures to ensure an apples-to-apples comparison of any changes linked to the tech. - Track the security impact of the new technology.
Did your new tool tie up loose ends in terms of security? Have you noticed fewer security risks because of the tech? Look over your historical information to evaluate whether your latest tech investment has added a protective barrier. For instance, you may want to weigh pre-tech and post-tech network breaches to springboard continuing investigations.
Without a doubt, some technology can be annoying, especially for end users who are forced to input credentials constantly. Nonetheless, there can never be too much tech — particularly at a time when the role of technology in business has never been more critical to corporate success.
Written by Shawn Freeman.
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