Looking to hire IT staff?

Before we get into individual use cases, we should admit that the concept of IoT devices over the years has been connected to a wide range of cybersecurity issues. Obviously, this should bring up some concerns, but when implemented properly and safely, they can bring a lot of value and automation to your business. We can’t stress enough how important it is to have an IT professional who knows how to integrate new tools into an environment that has extremely important data flowing in and out of it regularly. 

IoT Improves Business Automation

With all the tools out there that claim to improve efficiency, it is difficult to identify which of them can actually work for your business. Really what you should be looking for are ways to automate repetitive and mundane tasks so that your employees don’t have to spend a lot of their time focused on them. The Internet of Things presents an opportunity to fill in a lot of the gaps with tools that can actually improve efficiency. One of the most notable ways it can help is in the management of your brick and mortar locations. Smart technology has made significant strides in centralized management and security since their inception and can provide your business with the following functionality:

• Managing temperature - IoT sensors can control HVAC systems and adjust heating and cooling to save energy. With energy prices currently in a steady climb, this can add up to significant cost savings over time. 
• Managing lighting - As with HVAC controls, controlling the cost of lighting in your business’ location(s) can be of great benefit. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Energy adding IoT lighting controls can reduce lighting energy consumption by nearly half. 
• Managing building maintenance - Sensors connected to a business’ IT infrastructure or machinery can deliver the data needed to allow managers to make more informed decisions about their business. This can have a positive effect on location maintenance and scheduling. 
• Energy consumption - On top of controlling costs, IoT tools can provide managers with a lot of great information to help make decisions that not only help the bottom line, they also can improve efficiency and productivity. The more you know, the better. The IoT provides a lot of good information for decision makers to use to improve their businesses.

IoT Isn’t that Pricy

One major factor for any business is cost. As more businesses utilize IoT technology, the price for sensors and other smart devices declines rapidly. Today, businesses can get the IoT technology, as well as the necessary shift in business networking that it needs to properly and securely function, for a fraction of the cost than the same system would have cost just a short time ago. What’s more, the IoT can help your business stabilize costs by automating some typically expensive business processes, including:

• Inventory management -  You can more easily keep track of your business’ inventory, even if your goods and components are stored offsite. There are systems that will trigger an order when a stock gets to a certain number, taking inventory management off your staff’s plate. 
• Safety and compliance - Every business has to deal with a certain number of local, state, and federal regulations. IoT can be implemented to ensure that your staff is operating in a safe and compliant environment.
• Security - New camera systems no longer require businesses to swap out tapes or disks. Today, IoT-fueled CCTV systems can be viewed remotely and be recorded to the cloud. Not only that, if you choose to have access control badges for your employees, you can control their access to business resources and track all employee movement to solve operational problems more quickly. 

You can implement these systems for a reasonable expense and over time they will pay for themselves. 

We Can Help!

Integrating IoT into your business isn’t as easy as just plugging in the devices and forging ahead. There needs to be some consideration to the deployment to ensure network security and the viability of the IoT solution. We can help. Our team of IT professionals thrives in situations where we are asked to help Greater Seattle Area businesses innovate and prosper. If you would like to have a conversation about integrating the IoT into your business, give Digital Seattle a call today at (206) 709-9556. 

Less Downtime

Proactive maintenance and management means that you are identifying issues and addressing them before they become major problems. This naturally leads to less downtime, as you are addressing the issues that lead to downtime before they have a chance to develop any further.

More Productivity

While you might have once been focused on reacting to problems, you can instead reclaim this time and spend it on more productive initiatives. For example, maybe you spend half an hour every morning wrestling with your computer to work properly. If you take care of it and nip these issues in the bud, you can use that time to instead outline your plans for the day, leading to more focused work throughout the workday. All of this compounds over time, too.

More Predictability

Technology can be unpredictable at times, to say the least, but when you proactively maintain your technology, you are essentially planning for the future and all of the possible scenarios that could occur. All of this makes it easier to make decisions about when and how to replace technology, something which makes the budgeting process more predictable and easier to plan for.

Less Frustration

Most everybody understands the importance of mindset, and when your technology isn’t working properly, it’s really, really hard to remain focused and positive. With proactive maintenance, however, you don’t have to worry about your technology breaking down to the point where it’s impossible to get work done. Small issues can be resolved before they escalate, making it easier than ever to stay focused on the work you’re doing.

Fewer Expenses

Perhaps the biggest and best benefit of taking a proactive stance on your technology management is that you will spend less money in the long term because of all of the above reasons outlined. Because your technology breaks down less frequently, you won’t have to replace it as often, and you’ll spend less on both maintenance and downtime.

Take Advantage of Proactive Maintenance Today

Don’t let your business suffer from poor IT maintenance any longer; if you want to take a proactive approach to technology maintenance—and you should—then contact Digital Seattle at (206) 709-9556. Our trusted technicians will ensure you are in good hands.

Find the Right Resources

An issue many businesses run into when undertaking major collaborative tasks is expecting A-level work from someone that isn’t trained or experienced in doing that type of work. This can happen because of improper project management and delegation, or it can simply be because there are heavy workloads on the more experienced resource. Regardless of what the reason is, having your best people doing their best work on what they’re best at is sure to help take your business where you want it to go.

Lines of Communication

Communication is a key component to any collaborative endeavor, but if your team doesn’t have access to the robust communications tools that are now available, your team’s efficiency may be less than desirable. Since most teams are made up of workers from different departments, they may have different perspectives and ideas. Having productive lines of communication can lead to better products, better services, and the production of more revenue. 

Stay on Task

One crucial issue some multi-user projects need to establish early on is shared goals. Not just the result that they want to see, but also timelines, deadlines, and so on. Not every member of your team is going to think the same way and having shared goals will be important to fulfill the work as expected. 

What Technology Can Help?

Technology is a big part of collaboration in modern business. Here are three technologies that you can use to improve your team’s results on collaborative projects. 

• Collaboration apps - Software that is specifically made for collaboration. These apps are available anywhere on nearly any device and give users the ability to work with a lot of integrated software titles.
• Video conferencing - Being able to have impromptu meetings where you can talk to your team is important with all project coordination.
• Productivity suites - Cloud-based productivity suites give team members the ability to collaborate on specific documents, presentations, and spreadsheets.

At Digital Seattle, our IT professionals pride themselves on helping Greater Seattle Area businesses get the technology and technology management they need to be their best. Give us a call today at (206) 709-9556 to learn more.