It is not a bad thing to still be in the same place your company was a decade ago. Perhaps you have expanded your online offerings, but there was not much need to expand the office physically. If the office is serving you adequately, you do not need to force expansion and just be saddled with high maintenance costs. Still, that does not mean that your office should be a throwback to the past decade. In a time when cutting-edge technology is right at your fingertips, only the foolhardy refuses to innovate—or at the very least, stay updated. Pay attention to the signs that you need to repair or replace office equipment:
Faulty Tech
Gadgets are important in an office even if you are not an IT company. Most tasks will be performed on mobile gadgets, and you take them everywhere you go. It is only right that you do not delay Psion repairs if you notice that your gadgets have been lagging or performing inadequately recently. When it comes to smartphones, tablets, PDAs, and mobile computers, you should not wait until they give up. Remember that your files are stored in them. If you do not have access to your files, you cannot perform your tasks well. On that note, you should also make sure that you are saving backups of everything. There is no knowing when your devices will be unavailable. If they happen to stop working at the wrong time, your backup should be ready to help you get back on track without a lot of downtime.
Insecure Doors
It is not just the gadgets in the office that you should keep up to date. The security locks on doors and the physical frames themselves might degrade in quality over time. Now, it is easy enough to replace locks or update the security system that you have equipped exits with; what could take a while is manual door replacement. That is because you cannot just do it during office hours as the people working around the office will need that security feature in place. Schedule the maintenance after office hours so that it will not be a nuisance to anyone in the company.
When do you know it is time to replace your doors? The obvious signs, such as a broken hinge or difficulty in closing due to a warped door frame, will be good indicators. Should you notice signs of a break-in, you need to act even faster; the door might have already been tampered with. This same vigilance should be applied to your windows as well.
Passwords
You can have the most advanced locks in the world. However, if you are using the same password in everything—and it is the same password you have had since the beginning of the business—you might as well just let intruders in. During the course of the business, you have welcomed and said goodbye to former employees. While their IDs will not be valid anymore, if they know the codes that open crucial parts of the company, they may still be able to get into places they should not be allowed.
Do not wait around for signs of an intruder before you change your passwords. Do this routinely and keep the passwords in a safe place so that you will not be letting the company’s guards down. Use strong passwords as well—definitely not your birthday or the name of your pet.
Your progress may not be measured in terms of the floor area of your headquarters. However, every aspect of your business should reflect your success. Therefore, go ahead and secure, update, and replace office equipment whenever necessary.
