When it comes to technology, there is an abundance of varied options to choose from. There are all kinds of niche, granular tech upgrades to suit enterprise operations and businesses, be it a warehouse using a proprietary inventory system or a data centre with state-of-the-art servers. There’s a bit of tech for everything.

While this is great for business owners, it can also be a hassle. What tech upgrades should your SMB or SME consider next? What tasks can you automate? What value can tech add to your day-to-day operations? How can I save money on the tech I do need? These are all valid questions.

Today’s article will cover some of the tip tech solutions for SMEs and SMBs in 2022. We’ll cover everything from workplace productivity to software that can help organise complex workloads.

Let’s delve!

Don’t Always Buy Brand New Tech

Buying brand new technology all the time can be very costly and slow down the progression of your business, especially if you are starting. It can be a costly investment to go all out with new tech, and this can burn a hole in your available capital – opt for a better choice.

Buying refurbished tech may seem like a bad idea; after all, wasn’t refurbished tech once broken? Refurbished technology is a lifesaver for many businesses that need to buy new tech or replace old parts regularly. The main difference between new and refurbished parts is minimal, so minimal that it doesn’t justify spending hundreds more on a newer part most of the time.

The only businesses that need brand new tech all the time are industry leaders on the cusp of pushing industry limits – giants like Google, Facebook, and Amazon.

So, save your capital and get refurbished tech! It is always best to source from a reputable supplier such as ETB Technologies (as reputable suppliers often offer their warranty).

Don’t Shy Away From Cloud Storage Options

It can be very tempting to do away with cloud storage options in favour of physical storage options such as hard drives or storage arrays. While this can make sense in many business models, it can be a waste of money, time, and resources for most. Unless you have a dedicated 24/7 server that you need to run for your business to function, cloud storage is the option that makes sense.

With cloud storage, you can seamlessly link workstations in different rooms (or even cities) via a central server location that you rent. Renting this storage space on a server is usually significantly cheaper for most businesses than running your server and hosting your files for employees.

Some great options to consider are Google Drive, Amazon Web Services, Mediafire, DropBox, and other storage hosting sites. Have a shop around and see what service best suits you and your enterprise needs.

Invest In A Robust Internal Network

This is invaluable for SMBs and SMEs that rely on the internet and their workstations to serve their clients or customers. A robust, reliable, and efficient internal network is critical.

Deciding what kind of network you want initially (if you are starting out) or what kind of network you want to progress onto is paramount to any digital SMB or SME. A powerful router and WiFi link are great, but a more secure option is needed, such as wired connections for some setups.

Knowing your network demands is the best way to ascertain what kind of network you’ll need. For example, a wired connection will streamline this process if you transfer huge amounts of data between workstations and servers.

If you need a way for workstations and servers to communicate, then WiFi may be the best option.

There are also things such as PowerLine adapters and transceivers to consider, each having benefits and drawbacks to their use.

It is often best to perform ample research and invest according to your network usage statistics.

Get An Alexa And Spotify Setup

Not all tech solutions need to be related to the nitty gritty of your day-to-day operations. Employees and their mood will greatly impact their productivity, so ensuring they are well looked after is important.

A simple but effective way to create a more pleasant working environment for them could be something as straightforward as music.

Set up an Alexa speaker (or any speaker system) with a Premium Spotify account – the rest can be up to your employees. Let them compose a playlist that keeps everyone happy. You’ll be surprised how much this can lift the mood and motivate your employees, especially towards the end of a workday.

To Conclude

The key to getting the right tech solutions for your operation is assessing your needs as they currently stand. What’s your main bottleneck? Is there a way tech can improve employee productivity?

Get thinking, and then get investing!