One often overlooked example is asset tracking software. As you can probably deduce this is software that’s there to help you track any fixed assets. So now you need to know how this can be used to help move your business forwards. Things like your computers and business mobile phones are examples of your fixed assets. Your mobile phone of desk top PC won’t directly make you any money but you still need them to run a successful business. By using asset tracking software you’re able to tell straight away what your business owns, what they’re worth, when you’ll have to replace them and other sorts of relevant information. One example of how this can help is when you’re carrying out audits and assigning value to your business.

Fixed asset accounting is usually done on Excel sheets and will often be done by hand. This sort of data is also needed to calculate depreciation too which means it’s needed for things like Tax value and your profit and loss figures. Trying to work all this out by hand can be an ineffective use of business time and will often lead to human error.

There is almost never a time when migrations go 100% according to plan.  Some of the major aspects of consideration before migrating are:

1. Cost vs. Value. Companies often have older computers in use.  Often these systems are out of warranty.  It costs money and resources to upgrade each computer.  Carefully consider how much time and money to spend on an older computer.  Buying a new computer with the new operating system may be a better investment.
2. End user training.  A typical soft-cost that is often overlooked is the time involved in retraining staff and loss of productivity during this process.  New operating systems have new look, feel, and functionality.  There is a very real cost in getting your staff retrained. Oftentimes this cost is difficult to estimate since some users are more technically savvy than others.  Many users are resistant to change – especially on their computers.
3. Application compatibility. Software writers like to take their time in making sure they have a version of their product that is compatible with the latest version of the operating system.  Just because a new version of Windows is out, doesn’t mean your business applications will function properly.  Discuss migration issues with your software vendors before making the switch.
4. Licensing costs. Make sure to discuss with your IT provider the best ways to purchase your operating systems and licensing as there are many cost-saving programs available.

If you plan appropriately, a successful operating system migration can be performed in as little as a weekend with only minor support required on Monday morning.  If you do not plan properly, you are setting yourself up for business interruptions and down time.  Talk to a reputable Michigan computer services firm before taking the dive.  Executing operating system upgrades is a requirement for any business and you can’t put them off indefinitely. Put in the appropriate time and resources with a trusted technology partner and you will find the potential headaches of making this major change will be minimal.