As the end of the financial year approaches, IT and Communications expenses often feature as an ideal area to address and I firmly believe that technology implemented well is one of the keys to increasing productivity and efficiency in all areas of business. What we need to consider however is that it’s not just about the technology, but what technology can do for our businesses that’s really important.

At a recent presentation to the Business SA ‘Changes and Challenges Conference’ I shared my Top 10 Tips for business to consider at this time of year, including the following:

Consolidate your Bills — it has been common practice in business to utilise different carriers for mobiles, fixed lines and broadband as you strive to get the best deal for each one. Increasingly, taking the opposite approach and combining those services on one bill with one carrier is achieving even greater savings. The right plan should allow your business to make calls from your office or mobile back and forth between staff for free.

Work is What You Do Not Where You Go – properly implemented, Voice Over IP and Unified Communications technology can enable staff to perform their role from any location. This can drive real benefits within your business including greater impact from part time workers and being able to utilise the expertise of staff in multiple locations – at home, in another office, state or even country.

Consider the Cloud – Cloud computing is an emerging technology set to revolutionise the way we do business in the future. Simply explained, computing services such as email, finance packages and CRMs can be used on a ‘pay as you go per user per month’ basis. The servers and software are located externally and managed by someone else while you access and pay for what you need via the Internet.

Greg Fletcher-Harriss Managing Director 08 8202 7302 gfh@dmv.net.au