Technology appears to cause a unique amount of headaches.
While we all pay lip service to the transformative effect and powerful potential IT had and has, it’s hard not to get the sense an awful lot of business leaders secretly wish it’d never happened.
This counts double for SMEs, whose relative lack of financial firepower and inherent instability is only augmented by the extra competitive battle-ground technology presents.
The truth is, though, that all companies feel this strain.
And just as we take comfort in the knowledge we’re not alone in our personal stresses and struggles, SMEs ought to be glad knowing their competitors are just as stressed about IT as they are.
For this reason, we’ve compiled a list of the five top IT anxieties we see again and again in our SME clients.
Data loss
Most business leaders and managers understand the potential data has to help them reach their goals.
They also understand that not having it will give their competitors an unnecessary advantage.
But they simply can’t shake the niggling suspicion that their data is somehow at risk, or that relying on it is setting them up for some hideous accident.
The truth is though, a properly constructed IT infrastructure, build by seasoned experts who know what they’re doing, makes serious data disruptions all but impossible, and the fact that you’re concerned about it is simply a sign that you’re showing due diligence.
Cost
With no direct ROI, and resources consistently strained, it makes sense that smaller businesses are afraid of sinking too much money into their IT.
Indeed, every extra add-on, every new service or App appears as nothing but extra burden.
There might even be some underlying anxiety that you’re being over charged or hoodwinked.
But this is simply another reason why you should be working with a small, trustworthy team who can offer fully integrated services without added needless overheads or burdening you with add-ons all the time.
Security
Most people don’t fully understand viruses, or hacking, or any of the bogey men we hear about on the news and which SMEs so often fear like the plague.
And it makes sense to fear these things, because you’ve heard the damage they can do.
Some reports claim as many as two thirds of small UK businesses have experienced some form of cybercrime.
However, with properly protected systems, looked after by experts, there’s really no need to worry.
Stress
Many managers and business leaders are convinced their workforce is going to be overwhelmed by stress and strains at the hands of technology.
And while plenty of workers do find IT difficult, this is only because they have no recourse, no one to ask.
Stress is contagious, and it’s not uncommon to find companies without proper IT support crowded around a printer or screen, getting increasingly hysterical that no one knows how to fix the problem.
But, again, this is simply a product of not having an expert to ask.
You can reassure your workers that they need never worry, because they needn’t!
F(ear) O(f) M(issing) O(ut)
The final, perhaps biggest concern SMEs express is simple: missing out on something big.
Something important and powerful and useful.
What happens if your competitor makes use of a brilliant new program before you do?
What happens if the Slack or Office 365 proves to be unexpectedly potent for whatever reason?
Should we just get it all, to be sure?
How about no.
Instead of worrying about missing out, businesses should be focusing on making the most of what they have.
For new products and innovation, they ought to have experts on alert, ready to point them to anything that might prove of genuine use.
And then, of course, to help them use it!