(This post originally appeared on Forbes)
Is your company’s technology up to speed or out of date? What’s hot and what’s not? What technologies are other businesses using that you should be considering?
That’s the purpose of Tech Check. Each week, we’ll do a quick survey of a small businesses to see what technology they’re using because we’re all interested in keeping up with the Jones’s, right? How do you compare?
This week, we’re doing a Tech Check with Robert Kathol, Founder, CEO, and President of Navigate Corporation. Founded in 2005, Navigate provides management consulting services focused on helping clients solve their business problems through strategy, business operations, technology, and risk mitigation. It has 60 employees and is located in Philadelphia and Wayne, PA.
Network environment: Secure wired and wireless networks in each office location. Access to applications and the network outside of the office is managed through Microsoft single sign-on/Office 365.
Primary laptop: Dell, 64-bit based machines, Windows 10 Operating System
Primary tablet: Not Applicable
Smartphone: Employees can use their own devices. Access to applications through a smartphone is managed through Microsoft Office 365.
Company phone system: Semperon
Primary company applications: Microsoft Office 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Visio, SharePoint, Access), Changepoint (Time and Billing System), JobVite (Applicant Tracking System), Paylocity (Human Resources Information System), Microsoft Dynamics (Customer Relationship Management), QuickBooks (Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, General Ledger)
Email provider: Microsoft Outlook
How has the technology in your business changed in the last 5 years?
In today’s environment, cyber attacks are a constant threat and concern for any company. We feel like we are constantly playing defense, which drains time, energy, and resources from innovation efforts.
Where do you plan to spend your technology dollars in the next 12 months?
Over the next 12 months, we plan to invest in additional HRIS modules and integrate with our existing enterprise applications.
What is your biggest technology frustration?
Having to plan for and implement integration is a regular frustration, as it demands significant financial and resource investment and, again, takes away from the focus on innovation.
What application is most valuable for your business and why?
Our professional services automation platform runs our business, grays our hair, and provides real-time decision-making information.
What has been your business technology mistake since you started your business?
As we see with some of our clients, we have occasionally invested in technology without really having a strong plan of how to leverage it.
What are you doing to protect your data?
Nothing – we call it shameware. Just kidding. Our applications and data are hosted by providers who have a much greater ability than we do to protect our assets.
What’s the 1 biggest thing you’ve learned about technology since you started?
Technology is expensive. Not so much related to the cost of the actual software or hardware but in our people’s time and mindshare to truly drive its effectiveness.
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