For a small or medium-sized business, staying on top of the IT infrastructure isn’t as easy as it might appear. SMBs have to brace for unique challenges and often don’t have the adequate expertise and resources to deal with them.

That doesn’t mean these challenges should just be ignored.

Preparing for them and taking a proactive approach to avoiding them is usually the best course of action. However, the first step is identifying what these challenges even are.

The following are some of the most common obstacles preventing SMBs from building resilient IT infrastructures.

Identifying your software needs and implementing the right solutions

Regardless of the industry or niche you’re in, there are hundreds of different software solutions that might seem perfect for improving workflows and enhancing your productivity. From bookkeeping software to tax and accounting software, CRM, time-tracking solutions, internal communications tools, and more, everything may seem helpful at first glance.

And everything might be helpful but not entirely necessary, especially if you’re on a budget.

Instead of wasting time and effort making a pros and cons list of all the tools you have access to, it’s in your best interest to hire a software consulting agency.

For instance, a Microsoft Software Consulting company can help you determine which Microsoft business management tools you need and then implement them for you. It would reduce the time it would take you to do so on your own and eliminate the risk of wasting money on solutions that aren’t necessary.

Staying within the budget

Reducing the complexities and costs associated with building a resilient IT infrastructure can be problematic for SMBs. With all the required tools and solutions, high subscription costs, and overall lack of IT expertise, breaking through the budget in record time is easy.

The aforementioned software consulting companies can help you get the most out of your IT budget. However, there are a few other things that could reduce your overall costs:

• Open-source solutions – Most open-source tools are free or affordable, making them an excellent choice for SMBs on a budget. The downside is that they usually have a steeper learning curve than mainstream tools;
• Scalable solutions – Focusing on modular, scalable solutions instead of fixed subscription options can reduce costs down the line. You can easily scale up or down as needed, minimizing your risks of using solutions you don’t actually need;
• Cloud solutions – Depending on your niche and cybersecurity compliance regulations, using cloud solutions instead of in-house ones can help reduce overall costs. They’re mostly scalable and don’t require you to invest as much in your IT infrastructure, hardware, and more.

Of course, you’ll still need to set a reasonable budget. Even with all cost-reduction strategies, building a resilient IT infrastructure will still be a somewhat expensive endeavor.

Inexperienced IT staff

SMBs tend to have very small IT teams if they even have them at all. More often than not, most employees need to wear many hats, and the most tech-savvy among them take on the responsibilities of IT management.

While this could work for a while, it can quickly become problematic. Inexperienced IT staff can expose your systems to vulnerabilities and even increase your risk of encountering a cyberattack. After all, there’s a reason why over 90% of cyber security breaches happen in an SMB.

So, even if your SMB is a small family-owned flower shop with little other than a website and payroll management software, you’ll want an IT professional onboard.

If that’s not possible because of budget constraints, you’ll want to upskill the employees currently in charge of your IT tasks. Invest in comprehensive training and provide relevant courses.

Ensuring regulatory compliance

Perhaps the biggest challenge is staying compliant with all the relevant laws and regulations – namely, the data privacy laws. Businesses that are not in compliance could encounter hefty fees and penalties, not to mention that their reputation could plummet.

To ensure compliance, you primarily need an experienced IT staff. Then, you’d need to conduct frequent IT audits and assess every tool and software you’re using, looking for any vulnerabilities that could expose your, your vendors’, and your clients’ data to threats.

You’ll need to ensure you have proper data encryption and that you’re securely storing sensitive information.

Additionally, using compliance management software could be highly beneficial, as you’ll be able to catch issues and bugs before they get out of hand.

Final thoughts

As an SMB owner, you might not necessarily have a massive IT infrastructure. However, you are still responsible for building and maintaining a resilient infrastructure that helps you streamline processes and minimize risks.

Though IT could present many challenges, all of them can be overcome with relative ease if you have experienced staff and reliable consulting agencies that could help you out.