Whether your business has two employees or 2,000, it’s likely that you have questioned the role that IT plays in your company. If your company has been around for a while, you will have addressed this question multiple times as technology has evolved. In this instance, a newer company that may not be as well-established could actually be at an advantage — they can invest in the newest tech from the beginning, without having to tackle the issue of replacing outdated legacy IT. However, if they plan on staying in business for any length of time, they will face the same dilemma, eventually.

Innovation in technology is happening faster than many businesses can keep up. By the time new tech has been researched, purchased, and implemented, something new may have already come along. However, This shouldn’t stop businesses from upgrading. It just means that an individual company should carefully consider their current and future tech requirements. Ideally, any new tech should be implemented in such a way that it can be upgraded and modified to support company growth and technological innovation.

Many companies rely on “legacy IT”, or IT that is outdated but remains necessary for day to day operations. These systems are critical to keeping the business moving, so decision-makers are willing to devote considerable time, personnel, and resources to maintaining legacy IT infrastructure. At some point, the costs will outweigh the benefits and upgrading will become a necessity. Unfortunately, many companies will waste large amounts of time and money and slow business growth just to avoid the inevitable.

Modernizing business IT is a complex and sometimes costly undertaking, so why do it? The answer is relatively sensible: modern business IT is necessary for survival. Even small, local businesses use technology for day to day operations. Cloud services and data centers are serving large and small businesses so that they are more scalable, efficient, and productive than ever. Hardware is no longer the foundation of an IT plan. Internet connectivity is a part of virtually every tool, including those that used to be purely mechanical. Software is no longer sold as a package to install. It is offered as a platform, by subscription from the cloud, is automatically upgraded, and is programmed in new ways.

Surprisingly, one of the first pillars of IT modernization is simplification. In the past, IT upgrades meant bigger and better software and hardware. Today’s systems allow for a “less is more” philosophy. Operations are designed to be streamlined, allowing for the greatest flexibility, speed, and scalability. Consider the systems that work best for the workforce and company as a whole, and keep those in mind when implementing new, more efficient IT.

Traditionally, IT systems were considered business assets, owned and operated by the company. Modern technology urges users to leave this outdated mindset behind. Today’s business IT is service-based. IT services allow for a combination of service integrations, boosting optimization and ROI. Many providers offer a range of service-based products. Singularis IT offers a variety of cost-effective services including cloud services and White-Glove IT — premier, affordable, enterprise-level IT customized for virtually any business, large or small.