The sudden shutdown of the economy in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic forced many businesses to rely more heavily on technology. Some companies fared better than others with improving IT systems.

Many businesses that are taking an informal approach to their IT sourcing strategy are discovering that their systems aren’t as robust and scalable as they hope. Some may have lost ground competitively as fires were put out and employees got back up to speed in an altered working environment.

To keep your approach to technology relevant, you’ve got to regularly reassess processes and assets. Doing so is even more important in the new normal. Here are six key questions to ask:

1. What are our users saying?

Every successful IT strategy is built on a foundation of plentiful user feedback. Talk with (or survey) your employees about what’s happened over the last few months from a technology perspective. Find out what’s working, what isn’t and why.

2. Do we have information silos?

Most companies today use multiple applications. If these solutions can’t “talk” to each other, you may suffer from information silos — when different people and teams keep data to themselves. Shifting to more remote employees may have worsened this problem or made it more obvious. If it’s happening, determine how to integrate critical systems.

3. Do we have a digital file-sharing policy?

Businesses used to generate tremendous amounts of paperwork. Sharing documents electronically is much more common now. However, without a formal approach to file sharing, things can still get lost or various versions of files can cause confusion. Implement (or improve) a digital file-sharing policy to improve document management systems, network procedures, and version control.

4. Has our technology become outdated?

Along with being an incredible tragedy and ongoing problem, the pandemic is accelerating change. Technology that may have been at least passable before the crisis may now be falling far short of optimal functionality. Look closely at whether your business may need to upgrade hardware, software or platforms sooner than you previously anticipated.

5. Do employees need more training?

You may have implemented IT changes over the past few months. However, employees haven’t fully understood or have adjusted to in problematic ways. Consider mandatory training and ongoing refresher sessions to ensure users are taking full advantage of available technology and following proper procedures.

6. Is your business following security protocols?

Changes made to facilitate working during the pandemic may have exposed your systems and data to threats from disgruntled employees, outside hackers and ever-present viruses. Make sure you have a closely followed policy for critical actions such as regularly changing passwords, removing inactive users and installing security updates.

Information Technology During COVID-19

Technology upgrades has played a critical role in enabling businesses to stay connected internally, communicate with customers and remain operational during the COVID-19 crisis. Our accounting firm can help you assess your IT strategy in today’s economy and identify cost-effective process changes and budget-conscious asset upgrades.