Abolish Years of Tech Debt with This Simple 2-Step Process

How many tools on your infrastructure don’t play well with others? Do you just look for the next quick fix rather than build out a system of interconnected apps that all work in tandem to support your business efforts? If you don’t put in considerable effort in this regard, it could negatively impact your operations and create tech debt that’s hard to recover from.

Today, we want to address this tech debt and how these hidden points of failure can put your business at risk. Most importantly, we want to cover how to put an end to it so you don’t keep your business in a downward spiral.

Explaining Tech Debt

You can’t build a stable business on a foundation that’s breaking underneath.

Tech debt doesn’t refer to the financial setback of purchasing a new server or workstation, but rather the accumulation of how much “easy” short-term technology decisions cost you compared to making the harder, more long-term decisions. For example, if you’re using the same consumer-grade router from when you first started your business, chances are that’s costing you right this second, even if it’s operational. While it might have suited your needs at first, that’s simply no longer the case.

First, you’ll need to see exactly how much tech debt you’re dealing with, a concept we call an audit.

Perform an Audit

Before you can do much of anything, you’ll need to get a comprehensive list of what’s working for your business and what’s not working.

An audit of your infrastructure lets you capture the big picture of your network health. This should include a list of every single asset your business employs on its network, including laptops, software, servers, components, and everything in between. We’re diving deeper than just the surface-level stuff; we’re looking for the invisible assets that don’t show up in everyday operations, including the ones that your staff might not know exist.

To help you in your auditing efforts, we’ve put together the following checklist:

What This Audit Should Include

Remember, you’re going well beyond the surface-level tech, instead choosing to examine all of its components. Here’s what to think about:

• The hardware - The bones of your business, like your switches, routers, access points, servers, and workstations. Be sure to consider their age and warranty status.
• The software - The organs of your business, including your operating systems, applications, and security measures. Make sure it’s all supported by your vendors.
• The connections - The connective tissue of your business, such as your internal cabling, VPN stability, and ISP speeds.

If your business needs to address its tech debt (and it does), then you’ll want to work with a professional. Ideally, you’ll do this before you acquire and implement any new technology, as you don’t want to deploy anything redundant. A managed service provider like RiverTrail Technology has the knowledge and expertise to help you revamp your technology practices and finally free yourself from years of tech debt.

Learn more today by calling us at (276) 601-3208.