Owning Technology is Like Owning a Pet

When a child asks their parents if they can get a dog (or a cat, a hamster, etc.) the typical reply from the parents is usually “you know, owning a pet is a LOT of responsibility…” It might be cliche, but it’s true, and there is a valuable lesson for a kid to learn when adopting a 4-legged friend. Computing technology might not be as cute, but it certainly comes with responsibility and plenty of lessons to learn.

You Need to Take Care of It

When adopting a dog, you need to be prepared to invest a lot of time and money into your new family member. You’ll need to get her up to date on shots, get her a license, and invest in plenty of toys so she doesn’t chew on your furniture.

Any piece of technology you invest in works the same way. You need to ensure that you are willing to spend money for the infrastructure, the software licenses, the time it takes to run updates, and more. Here are some examples:

• Your CRM or line-of-business app needs enough computing resources to handle your users.
• Your workstations need regular Windows updates and security patches, and your antivirus needs to be kept updated across the entire network.
• Your website needs its plugins kept updated, and your web host needs to keep the server secure and updated.
• Your smartphone needs to keep its apps and operating system up to date.

Expect to Invest into It

Your pet has inherited needs. Dogs often need plenty of exercise and stimulation. Cats need their kitty litter replaced regularly. You’ll be responsible to provide your pets with the lifestyle they need and deserve. As your pet gets older and reaches different stages of its life, these needs are going to change, and it is your responsibility to continue to provide.

Your technology ages as well, and sometimes that means having to make changes or investments to continue to support it or ensure that it works. For example:

• Your wireless network is struggling to support your growing staff and needs to be upgraded.
• New compliance regulations for your industry require you to make major changes to your network or your website infrastructure.
• The latest version of your CRM might require more extensive hardware to run some of the new features.

There Are No Exceptions

Okay, maybe you aren’t a dog person, and instead you have a fish tank filled with betas and brine shrimp. These pets might not be as high maintenance, but they still need to be taken care of. You probably have plenty of devices like this that you forget about that seem like they will handle themselves without a lot of attention. I’m talking devices like:

• Smart devices like televisions, smart speakers, and home automation devices
• Wearables like smartwatches and fitness trackers
• Game consoles, media devices, and basically anything else that connects to your Wi-Fi.

These devices still need to be taken care of, even if you aren’t using them every day, or they feel like they are just ‘set-them-and-forget-them.’

In fact, no technology falls outside of this realm. All software, all hardware, all capabilities driven by technology all need to be treated in a similar fashion. Every application, every device, every connection all applies. This also includes the devices and software that your users bring into the fold. If you have an employee that installs an application to get a task done, that application needs to be kept updated, or else it could pose a risk to the rest of your IT.

If you need help managing your technology, give us a call at (703) 743-3056.