9 Essential Tech Strategies For Any Business To Thrive
Having worked with a broad spectrum of clients from big enterprises and government agencies to SMEs, it made me realise how important tech strategies are. Quite often, those organisations who can afford having a dedicated team of IT specialists would be able to navigate the tech landscape with no problem. SMEs, though, rarely put such thoughts into it. Even with the present of an “IT guy”, much of that person’s tasks revolves around solving issues only when it arises.
This article is here to give our customers, especially those without dedicated in-house IT experts, a broad overview of key considerations when looking at their IT landscapes. Here are nine essential tech strategies to help your business thrive, with an example of how these strategies can improve your business:
1. Keep Your Code Clean with Refactoring
Refactoring is all about cleaning up your existing code without changing what it does. It makes your code easier to read, less complex, and easier to maintain. Even if you already have an in-house system, regular refactoring can make a big difference in performance and longevity.
Example: If your e-commerce site’s checkout process is slow and buggy, refactoring can streamline it, making it faster and more reliable. This improves user experience and reduces cart abandonment.
2. Choose the Right Tech Stack
Your technology stack includes the programming languages, frameworks, and tools you use to build your applications. Picking the right stack is crucial for your business’s success. Understanding the pros and cons of different stacks helps you make informed decisions that align with your goals.
Example: If you’re developing a mobile app, you might choose between a native stack (like Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android) or a cross-platform stack (like React Native). Knowing the trade-offs, like performance versus development speed, helps you make the right choice for long-term success.
3. Use Design Patterns
Design patterns are tried-and-true solutions to common software design problems. They help create scalable and maintainable code by providing a standard approach to solving issues. Familiarizing yourself with design patterns can significantly improve your development process.
Example: If you’re developing a CRM system, using the Singleton design pattern can ensure that a single instance of the database connection is used throughout the application, improving efficiency and resource management.
4. Leverage Data Analytics
Data analytics can provide valuable insights into customer behavior, market trends, and operational efficiency. By leveraging data analytics, you can make data-driven decisions that enhance your business strategy and performance.
Example: A retail store can use data analytics to track customer purchase patterns and identify the most popular products. This information can be used to optimize inventory management, ensuring that high-demand items are always in stock, thus increasing sales and customer satisfaction.
5. Prioritize Cybersecurity
With the increasing number of cyber threats, prioritizing cybersecurity is essential. Implementing strong security measures protects your business data and builds trust with your customers. Regularly updating your security protocols and educating your team about best practices can mitigate risks.
Example: A small online business might face phishing attacks targeting customer data. By implementing strong cybersecurity measures like two-factor authentication and regular security audits, the business can protect sensitive information and maintain customer trust.
6. Adopt Agile Methodologies
Agile methodologies promote iterative development, collaboration, and flexibility. By adopting Agile practices, you can respond quickly to changes, improve product quality, and enhance customer satisfaction. Agile methodologies also foster a culture of continuous improvement.
Example: A software development company can adopt Agile methodologies to improve project management. By breaking down projects into smaller sprints and holding regular stand-up meetings, the team can quickly adapt to changes and deliver high-quality products faster.
7. Ensure PDPA/GDPR Compliance
Compliance with data protection regulations like PDPA (Personal Data Protection Act) or GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is crucial for protecting customer data and avoiding legal penalties. These regulations mandate how businesses collect, store, and process personal data, ensuring transparency and security.
Example: A small business collecting customer information for marketing purposes must ensure that they have explicit consent from customers and that the data is stored securely. Regular audits and updates to privacy policies can help maintain compliance.
8. Packaged vs. Customized Software
Choosing between packaged (off-the-shelf) software and customized software depends on your business needs, budget, and long-term goals. Packaged software, like WordPress or other open-source CMS platforms, offers quick deployment and lower initial costs, while customized software provides tailored solutions that can give you a competitive edge.
Example: WordPress and Drupal are both popular open-source CMS platforms, but they serve different needs. WordPress is user-friendly and ideal for small businesses looking to set up a website quickly with minimum complications. It offers a wide range of themes and plugins, making it easy to build a simple website to introduce your product or sell to customers.
On the other hand, Drupal is more customizable and flexible, making it suitable for businesses that need more complex capabilities. It has a steeper learning curve but offers greater control over your site’s functionality and design. For instance, a business with specific content management needs might choose Drupal for its robust features and scalability. Additionally, Drupal can easily serve data to other applications, such as mobile apps, through its powerful API capabilities. This makes it an excellent choice for businesses that need to integrate their website with other platforms and services.
9. Licensing Compliance
Ensuring compliance with software licensing agreements is crucial to avoid legal disputes and financial penalties. Many businesses have faced significant fines for not adhering to licensing terms.
Example: SAP sued Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) for breaching a software license agreement by accessing SAP systems and data without appropriate licenses. SAP sought damages potentially exceeding $600 million. Similarly, SAP won a major court victory against Diageo, a global drinks company, for indirect access to its systems through a Salesforce.com app, resulting in a potential fine of nearly $68 million.
What Can Aria Do For You?
,By implementing these best practices, your small business can enhance its technology infrastructure, improve scalability, and achieve long-term success. This is where Aria Data Labs can come in. We have the expertise and experience to provide the following services:
- Code review and refactoring services to keep your software efficient and scalable;
- Advice on best technology stack for your needs;
- Advice of the right design patterns to your projects, ensuring robust and scalable solutions;
- Data analytics services, including data collection, analysis, and visualization, to help you make informed decisions;
… and many more.
How about dropping us a message to get the conversation going? We would love to hear from you about what you might need help with.
Effendi Baba
Tech Solutions
Effendi has been in IT for 25 years and is passionate on how data can be used to support decision making through data modelling, visualisation, and algorithm. He has worked with multiple partners and clients and, as such, has in depth knowledge on facilitating the development and identifying key tech solutions that can address business needs.
In his free time, enjoy cycling and photography. He is actively involved In a social group to support the less-privileged families and is a member of a Toastmaster’s club.