Insight from PJ Sawchuk of Epic Solution Partners

Your company is growing, but your technological processes are still lagging behind. Whether it’s for lack of time or money, you’ve underinvested in technology. And now, the tech landscape has changed so much that you might not even know where to start. All the AI talk swirling has convinced you that there are solutions out there that could make your life a million times easier, but it feels impossible to figure out which ones are the real deal. Essentially, you know there’s a problem with your technological setup, even if you’re not sure exactly what it is.

If there’s one person who knows exactly how to help you, it’s my colleague PJ Sawchuk. Through his business, Epic Solution Partners, PJ spends his days assessing businesses’ technological processes and consulting with them to determine which of today’s solutions can help them unlock their full potential. 

With PJ’s guidance, we’ve pinpointed which technological problems are most likely to be holding you back and the solutions or processes that might help you solve them. 

So, without further ado, here are the five common barriers to business growth PJ encounters most frequently:

1. Not Leveraging the Power of Cloud Solutions

One of the major upgrades any organization aiming to stay competitive should invest in, if they haven’t already, is a move to the cloud – partially or completely depending on business needs.

“Unless you are in the data center business, you shouldn’t be hosting your data on your own using on-premise systems. It’s incredibly costly and totally inefficient for you to shoulder that burden when there are modern cloud solutions at your disposal,” says PJ. 

“Leveraging the cloud makes access management significantly easier, both for remote and on-site users. It simplifies the process of determining who should have access to what and allows you to expand quickly with the addition of new business. Cloud infrastructure is absolutely the way to go if you’re looking to improve your flexibility, cohesiveness, and efficiency.” 

SOLUTION: Build a roadmap to take advantage of cloud solutions such as Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure by thinking through what on-premise files or data could be pushed to the cloud.    

2. Not Leveraging Automation to Eliminate Repetitive Processes

“One thing we see a lot of is growing companies wasting time and energy on small repetitive tasks that can be easily automated,” notes PJ.

While the endless hype surrounding AI has made most business owners aware that automation has made big strides in recent years, this same buzz has made it tough to cut through the noise and identify which solutions can truly make an impact. The truth is, you actually don’t have to look far, as many popular programs such as Microsoft Teams and Salesforce already have incredible time-saving low-code automation built into their platforms. 

SOLUTION: Investigate incorporating some of these top solutions that PJ recommends into your business practices:

• PowerBI: A business analytics service that turns data into interactive visual reports, making it easy for businesses to track performance and make decisions. Automating data visualization saves time on reporting and allows for quicker decision-making.

• Tableau: A data visualization tool by Salesforce that helps businesses create complex visualizations and interactive dashboards. Automating data analysis and presentation with Tableau can significantly cut down on the time spent creating reports manually.

• Data Factory: A cloud-based data integration service by Microsoft Azure that automates the movement and conversion of data. Automating data integration with Data Factory can ensure that relevant data is readily available for analysis without the need for manual data entry and consolidation.

3. Underinvesting in Cybersecurity 

The most obvious danger of not having a strong cybersecurity profile is the threat of a major breach. However, even if you never experience an attack, underinvesting in cybersecurity might end up capping your ability to grow your business.

As PJ describes, “If you’re trying to win bigger clients, those clients are more likely to scrutinize your security profile and have higher expectations. If you haven’t invested in cybersecurity solutions, you might find yourself not eligible to render services or produce products for companies that insist on high-level security. In certain industries, they may also have some kind of compliance that you will inherit, especially if you store their data or work on their intellectual property.”

SOLUTION: “First, inventory every system that is plugged in or turned on and figure out its age and warranty status because those two things alone can tell you where you probably have major areas of vulnerability and where you might be left scrambling.” says PJ. 

“The other thing you can do is take a cybersecurity assessment test. These are all pretty user-friendly and walk you through some basic prompts to give you a sense of how strong your cybersecurity profile really is right now.”

The assessment tools PJ recommends are:

• Ford Foundation Cyber Security Assessment Tool – particularly good for nonprofits.  
• NGOISAC  – has some great resources for nonprofits and foundations as well.
• CISA’s Cybersecurity Toolkit – fantastic for organizations of all types.

4. Skillset Gaps

As you get more business, tasks that used to be just a small aspect of one person’s job can quickly expand into a full-time workload. This is especially true for responsibilities related to technology. 

As PJ describes, “When organizations grow, they often face challenges with their in-house IT capabilities. Sometimes, they’ll have an in-house IT person or someone for whom IT is just part of their role. These individuals often struggle to keep up with all the evolving technology because it’s either not their primary focus or the workload has become too overwhelming.”

But how do you identify skill gaps before they become huge areas of concern? PJ has some advice, “If you don’t know who you would go to for something, it indicates a skill gap. Or it could mean a lack of role clarity because some people might have the skills but just lack accountability since their role hasn’t been clearly defined. Either way, this needs to be addressed.”

SOLUTION: Think through various scenarios that could occur or are beginning to arise as a result of growth. Identify who might be tasked with handling those scenarios, and if you don’t have someone, address this either by clarifying roles and hierarchies or adding new specialized staff. If you’re considering hiring in-house staff, remember to plan for contingencies, such as vacations or sick days. 

Or, if you need to stay flexible, consider partnering with an IT Managed Service Provider (MSP). As PJ explains, “We love partnering with MSPs to help address these types of gaps. This is through what’s known as a co-managed model, where the MSP handles various IT tasks in support of an in-house IT person. MSPs typically have more resources and specialized skills, allowing them to jump in, augment internal teams, and quickly help them become more effective.”

5. Poor IT Architecture & Disconnected Systems

By far, the most challenging aspect of managing technology for growing businesses is constructing systems that allow everyone in their company to work together seamlessly. As PJ describes, “Oftentimes, you may start with one person handling the entire accounting department. As the organization grows and you add more people, workflows need to be integrated. This requires establishing handoffs, controls, accesses, permissions, etc. Breakdowns often occur because people are so busy scrambling to keep up they don’t consider how these workflows should integrate or what systems are needed to support that growth.”

And poor architecture isn’t just an inconvenience, it can be extremely costly in the long-run if you never address the underlying issues. “A group I worked with had recently grown and was having trouble tracking services rendered. Their employees had multiple different roles, and many times, each of those roles had a different funder. As they grew, it became a nightmare to keep up with that through spreadsheets. Invoices weren’t even getting sent, and money went missing because it became so complex to manage.”

These inefficiencies can also create silos within your organization, leading to communication breakdowns and disconnected departments. “The CFO may not have a clear line of sight to the cost of goods sold if inventory systems are isolated and not connected through a cohesive system. They may not see a bill of lading, know if the goods were received, or how much is still on hand. These disparate systems obscure the true cost of goods sold, meaning you’re making decisions with incomplete information.”

SOLUTION: Conduct a thorough analysis of your existing workflows to identify inefficiencies and bottlenecks. Look into migrating to these solutions to create a more cohesive platform for sharing and managing data.

• Microsoft Teams: While primarily a collaboration tool, Teams integrates with other Microsoft services to provide a cohesive communication and workflow solution, enhancing overall business architecture. It also includes many powerful automation apps in its subscription price.
• Salesforce: A comprehensive CRM platform that not only helps manage customer relationships but also provides tools for marketing, sales, and service, integrating various aspects of business operations into a unified system.
• Dynamics 365: Microsoft’s suite of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) applications. Dynamics manages various business processes, such as sales, customer service, finance, and operations and integrates well with other Microsoft products for a unified business solution.

Final Takeaway: Develop a Holistic Approach to Technology

Chances are, if you’re struggling with technology, there’s probably one major area you’re hoping to improve. But because nowadays, technology touches every part of your organization, it’s important to avoid tunnel vision and keep your eye on the big picture. 

As PJ warns, “The biggest advice I can give is to be careful not to fixate on any one solution. Even if you perfect one area, you may tilt the scales and throw other parts of your organization into disarray.”

“For example, let’s say you decide to implement a CRM and fixate on that without considering how it will integrate with everything else. You might invest a lot of money in the CRM, start winning new business, and then suddenly face bottlenecks with service rendering or order fulfillment. Be mindful that flooding one area with data requires a technological counterpart to handle it. One person cannot manage all the data that a computer generates, so you must consider how all systems will integrate and work together.” says PJ.

Despite this, PJ advises that you shouldn’t abandon your goal. “It’s ultra important to know your north star. There’s always gonna be a couple of core objectives that are driving why you’re even going through this exercise. It’s important that those are super clear to you and that you stick to them because then you can build a cohesive technological environment that serves that ultimate purpose.” 

If you’re looking for some guidance on what solutions might be best for your particular goals or just have further questions about the issues or solutions presented here, get in touch with PJ at pj.sawchuk@epicsolution.co.

Or, if you want to discuss augmenting your in-house IT team with an MSP, don’t hesitate to reach out to Krister Dunn at kristerd@reliabletechnology.com.