Three tips for business growth

J.P. Westwood //October 8, 2014//

Three tips for business growth

J.P. Westwood //October 8, 2014//

Everywhere you look, Denver is growing. With rapid developments and expanding infrastructure, such as RTD’s FasTracks program and the recent Metro Denver Site Selection Conference, the Denver economy is booming and drawing new talent to the area. According to Patty Silverstein, chief economist for the Metro Denver EDC, this year Denver is expected to have major employment growth in three leading sectors: natural resources and construction, professional and business services, and education and healthcare services.

While some of this industry growth will be driven by new businesses, the majority of stable and long-term job growth has a tendency to be driven by established businesses and regional employers. This means increased competition for top talent, customers and market share. The good news is, technology can help your business stay ahead of the curve and share in the surrounding economy’s boom. Here are three ways you can put your company at the front of the pack.

  1. Go Mobile – Mobile is the most important tool for 42 percent of consumers when making a purchase decision, according to Telemetric’s recent Mobile Path to Purchase study. With 58 percent of American adults having a smartphone capable of accessing the internet, and 63 percent using mobile devices to go online, a similar Pew study highlights the importance of ensuring your website is compatible with mobile browsers. Not sure if your website is mobile compatible? Quickly check with the W3C’s mobileOK Checker.
  1. Scale for Success – As your business grows, and adopts the technology demanded by today’s customers and top talent, outdated IT systems are likely to become over taxed. This can lead to reduced employee productivity and negative customer experiences. Adopting a cloud infrastructure helps companies cut IT costs, improve productivity, and streamline business continuity – all while affordably setting businesses up for future growth and new technologies. Whether a small shop, or large regional linchpin, companies of all shapes and sizes can benefit from, and afford, cloud technology. Talk with an IT consultant or check out these resources to see how your business could benefit from the cloud.
  1. Embrace Change – Technology is evolving at an ever-increasing pace, and is rapidly becoming the differentiator between success and failure for businesses. During times of growth, your business wants to stay ahead and not get caught in an avalanche of late adopters. As business continues to become more digitized, and embedded technology pops up in every corner, adopting a modern IT infrastructure – such as the cloud and enabling a remote workforce – provides a cost-effective, growth-ready foundation. Regularly evaluate your IT infrastructure to identify areas ripe for modernization.

As Denver’s economy grows, so can your business. Prepare for the future with these three tips, and talk to local IT consultants to find out how you company can benefit from technology. See how Microsoft is reimagining enterprise IT at http://www.microsoft.com/enterprise/reimagining.