Keeping Up with the Joneses

“If you aren’t keeping up with the latest IT trends, you’re behind the curve. Tech innovations are important for continuous education and tech development. Yet, keeping track of all of them is incredibly time-consuming. Even IT professionals spend a lot of time gathering information, as there are hundreds of expert sources and even more technologies.”

The above quote was taken from a Forbes article written last June. In my experience, this sentiment is shared by many of the clients we work with and across industries. But just because this view is wide-spread does not mean that it is correct—and there are some important caveats that should be addressed when reading a quote like this. So let’s break it down, piece by piece, to really understand what is important when pursuing new technological solutions.

If you aren’t keeping up with the latest IT trends, you’re behind the curve.

While this is technically correct, it misses a critical aspect of sourcing and implementing new technology solutions. That’s because throwing resources at technology is hardly ever a solution to your organizational issues. The reason is because, absent the proper plan or process, new technology will fail to deliver significant improvement from the technology you just moved away from. This means that you cannot chase new technology trends; instead, you have to really consider your organizational needs.

Tech innovations are important for continuous education and tech development.

This is broadly right, if not a little redundant. Technological innovations increase efficiency and decrease wasted hours spent trying to find workarounds to poor programs. But while it is true that technological education and development cannot advance without technological innovations, this is a little like saying, “Events are important so that history students can study history.”

Yet, keeping track of all of them is incredibly time-consuming.

Absolutely spot on. In order for your organization to keep up with all of the new technological advances, vendors and offerings in your industry, you would need to devote a member of your staff full-time to pursue new leads. However, very few organizations have this level of resources, and those who do are typically not the ones in need of transformative technologies.

It is critical to remember that applications provide the technology enablement of process and process automation. In layman’s terms, this means that you can streamline your business once you understand what it is you need to improve. After all, why would you acquire new technology without first identifying the problems you need solved?

Even IT professionals spend a lot of time gathering information, as there are hundreds of expert sources and even more technologies.

This might be the most important sentence in the entire quote. Gathering information and conducting research can help you get ahead, but ultimately you will be lost in a deluge of facts and figures. What you really need is a partner who knows these venders and their technologies and can help steer you in the right direction.

At Amplify, our role is to serve as the bridge between your technology needs and the solutions that will revolutionize your business. However, this does not mean that we implement these services ourselves, and the above quote is why. We offer unbiased services to fit your business. And just like there is no one-size, fits-all approach to your business, there isn’t a single technology solution that can solve every one of your challenges. Partnering with the right advising firm is a way to ensure that you always have access to the best solutions—even the ones you don’t know you need yet.