Are legacy systems holding back your SMB?

Small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) are the cornerstone of every industry. They start with a small group of passionate people, a big idea, and the hope of making an impact. And as the business evolves, you want the best for it. But if you’re still using legacy systems, you know the pain points they can cause: downtime or slowed workflows, at-risk files and data, a significant increase in IT support, and all the associated costs.

According to a 2017 ITIC survey, 47% of SMBs say that one hour of downtime can cost their firms $100,000 in lost revenue and end user productivity.

To keep your customers happy, your servers and programs need to grow along with your business. Moving away from legacy and integrating cloud-based systems and applications is essential. But it’s important to first identify your SMB’s unique challenges. Ask these four questions to determine whether your SMB is ready for the future:

Is our business aligned with its original mission?

Every company comes out of the gate with goals and aspirations. It’s important to take a critical look at whether your company has stayed true to its mission. One way to do that is to take stock of what’s working and what isn’t. Talk to employees across every area of your business—and customers too. Many times, what’s keeping a business off course is as simple as outdated tech.

Are we servicing clients to the best of our ability?

Your clients let your SMB do what it does best. Long wait times, inconsistent service, and unreliable products turn away even the most loyal customers. Keep satisfaction up by checking to make sure that hardware and software are up to date and relevant. A straightforward way to get the latest tech is by transitioning to a cloud-based system.

Have we stayed innovative?

Bringing new ideas to the table is a great way to stay pertinent to customers and contemporaries in your industry. Incorporate collaborative workflows within teams to get the creative juices flowing. Cloud-based applications allow for instantaneous and collaborative R&D.

Are outdated systems impacting workflows and productivity?

Is your business as productive as it can be? Identify any lags in your workflows to determine areas that need improvement. Research ways to improve processes using current or new technology. A cloud-based system can support better collaboration and improve productivity. Once you’ve identified your SMB’s unique challenges, take the next step to solve them with Dropbox Business. With 500 million registered users and 200,000 organizations, Dropbox already delivers big benefits to business and IT. By replacing legacy tools and systems with a proven cloud-based solution, Dropbox Business frees SMBs from the constraints of outdated systems. With Dropbox Business:

• Sales teams are up to 6% more productive.1
• Organizations save 2,722 hours per year collaborating with customers, vendors, and workers.1
• Customers see up to 802% ROI and a payback period of only 2 months.1

“We’re able to do things you could do in the past only with a full-fledged IT department. So it keeps us very small and nimble. We don’t have to think a lot about the mechanics of sharing.” —Tim Joseph, Founding Farmer & CEO, Maple Hill Creamery Empower your business to be more collaborative, flexible, and productive with a personalized business case for Dropbox Business. To learn more, download our eBook. 1 - IDC White Paper, sponsored by Dropbox, “The Business Value of Dropbox Business in Supporting Collaboration,” January 2016