As we close out 2017, many of us are making resolutions to change various aspects of our lives. We have good intentions to improve our health, learn new skills, or spend more time with family and friends, but only about 8% of us see our resolution through to the end. That “fresh start” feeling fades by February; that momentary point of reflection is quickly replaced with the daily grind; and before we know it, we’re back to our old habits.

People have been making and breaking their resolutions for years. But when it comes to IT and business, you can no longer afford to put things off; not with the rapid pace of technological change threatening to disrupt your organization.

Change Is the New Mandate of IT

A lot can change in a year, and this has never been more true for IT organizations. You know that to succeed in today’s competitive market, you need to shed outdated processes and increase efficiency with technology wherever possible. Of course, that’s easier said than done when the business is demanding accelerated efficiency and agility, while meeting rigorous security criteria in a world of accessibility from anywhere and on any device. You’re deep in the weeds just trying to keep things running, let alone find time to identify new strategies that map to the organization’s greater mission.

In today’s fast-paced world, falling behind in IT is not only a point of frustration, it can have a serious impact on your organization’s ability to differentiate and remain relevant to customers. If you want your business to keep pace, you need to set deliberate resolutions for 2018 and, more importantly, stick to them!

New Year’s Resolutions Every IT Organization Should Make in 2018

Below is a tech-inspired spin on some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions. While personal resolutions are notoriously easy to let slip, these three IT-based resolutions should be non-negotiable!

1. Personal Health

Getting healthier is a goal for many resolution-makers. In our personal lives, this is about feeling better both physically and mentally, having more energy, and reducing stress. Much like getting your body in shape, IT should also be thinking about health in terms of getting systems and operations in shape.

In today’s fast-paced business environment, an older database solution can have a major impact on the overall wellness of your organization. To stay ahead, companies must ensure they’re leveraging sound business platforms that support their workloads, and that these platforms are running on the best underlying infrastructure for better performance, scalability, and peace-of-mind.

Modernization of mission-critical business operations means reducing the likelihood of disruptions, maintenance costs, security and compliance risks, and perhaps the greatest risk of all – lost opportunity! Plus, when you know your systems are running smoothing, you get the added benefit of reducing stress in your day-to-day life – a win-win!

2. Learn a New Skill or Hobby

In our personal life, this is about enrichment. Learning a new skill or hobby reinforces our personal self-worth while “exercising” our brains. But we have to make time for it by reprioritizing our daily commitments.

In IT, this could mean staying up-to-date on the systems that are critical to running the business, or discovering new innovations that could lead to an entirely new and better way of doing business. Moving workloads to the cloud, shifting routine activities to a managed services provider, or taking on a new business unit which requires applications that are new to the organization all have the potential to improve the business’ bottom line and, equally important, set the foundation for future success. That being said, major change cannot happen without a big commitment and reassessment of priorities. However, achieving it can be one of the most exciting and gratifying parts of your year.

3. Spend More Time with Family and Friends

Honestly, this is the same in both your personal and professional life. If we make progress on the first resolution, we can open up our personal time by being our best, most positive self outside of work. By engaging in work that makes a difference in the second resolution, we can deepen the relationships with our peers and coworkers by unifying under a big, hairy, audacious goal and seeing it realized together.

Begin 2018 with the mindset that it’s time for a change. If you need a hand in seeing your IT resolution through, BDO Digital offers leading-edge business solutions for your midsize organization. Contact us to tell us more about your company and how we may help you achieve your goals in the new year.