Technology is a wonderful tool that has made so many daily tasks easier. It has virtually eliminated the need for employees to do some repetitive tasks or work that involves detailed calculations and analytics. However, technology isn’t without its downsides. When the network goes down, a user’s account is locked, or data is accidentally deleted, it leads to frustration and annoyance. You’ve likely fallen into some of these tech pain points yourself, so you know the feeling of wanting to throw your computer, tablet, or phone out the window.

While you may still get frustrated with them, knowing some of the most common tech pain points can at least prepare you for dealing with them. It’s also important to understand when what feels like a pain point is actually a sign that things are being done correctly. While this can be frustrating and present what feels like a roadblock to efficient work, these points are necessary to keep your network safe. Here are a few of these common pain points and what they often indicate.

 

The Tech Doesn’t WorkThe Tech Doesn’t Work

This is one of the biggest pain points in technology: the tech simply doesn’t work for your needs. This doesn’t mean that the computers don’t boot up or the software crashes, though that is obviously an issue for your tech support team. This pain point has to do with how well the technology you have meets your needs.

Sometimes the technology is needlessly complicated to use or doesn’t do exactly what you need it to. You may have had to come up with some kind of workaround or use a second piece of software or hardware to complete the task. Either way, it takes much more time than it should. This often happens as a business grows or changes direction but doesn’t re-evaluate its technology needs. On paper, it may appear that there’s no need to spend money for a new tool when the software or hardware you have is doing the job, but in practice, it’s clear the job isn’t being done as efficiently as it could be.

This pain point can typically be based on budget because older tools aren’t replaced when they need to be. Unfortunately, this can lead to more issues than just a loss of efficiency. Over time, the more of these older or legacy programs and hardware you’ll have, and that means you’ll have more security vulnerabilities and compatibility issues. These issues will bring you to worse pain points that often involve viruses, hackers, and ransomware.

 

There are Too Many Tools

Another common pain point employees may complain about is the number of tools they have to learn. Instead of using something that integrates various tools, employees are left trying to multitask on a daily basis. They may have an application for video calls, one for chat, one for calendars and scheduling, etc. Instead of using multiple tools, look for something that integrates various tools or tasks into one. You may not have to give up the tools you like, but you can use a system that makes it easier for these tools to talk to each other.

You Have Too Many Logins and Passwords

A related issue is that employees find themselves juggling multiple logins and passwords. Each tool they have to use typically requires one, and a good IT department is going to have a password policy that instructs employees to use different passwords for each system. These guidelines should also require strong passwords. Unfortunately, this often results in employees leaving little notes under their keyboards or in their desk drawers with all their logins and passwords on them. Sometimes these notes are visible to clients and other visitors, which is a major security risk.

Using integration tools often reduces the need for users to log in as frequently, which can help reduce the risk of users needing these notes. You can even implement the use of a password vault so employees only need to remember their master password.

This is one area that Wooden Spoon often addresses when we take on a new client. We look at the system they use and its components to determine what could be streamlined, integrated, and simplified. We know technology often comes down to people, not machines, and people don’t want to have to keep up with all these different usernames and passwords made of a dozen random characters. Complex passwords are a necessity for a strong system, of course, but there are ways to decrease the number of passwords a person has to remember.

 

You Get Locked Out of the SystemYou Get Locked Out of the System

What happens when you get locked out of the system for entering the wrong password several times in a row? Often, it means calling your IT team to have your account unlocked, which may seem like a simple task, but if there are multiple disasters going on, it can take an hour or two. During that time, you may not be able to get much work done at all.

While this is a pain point that nearly everyone will experience at some point in their lives, it’s not necessarily a negative pain point. Being locked out after entering an incorrect password several times isn’t an error or other issue that needs to be corrected. Instead, it’s a sign that your network security is working as intended. It’s preventing someone from using a brute force hacking tool to get your password by trying every possible combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Such a method can take days or weeks, but without any sort of security protocol to lock out the login, it can be successful.

While being locked out is annoying (it almost always seems to happen at the most inconvenient times!), it’s a sign that your network security is ready to stop brute force and similar attacks. It’s a pain point, but it’s a necessary one.

 

Losing Access to Files or Applications in the Cloud

Migrating to cloud computing has a number of benefits for companies and users. It’s much easier to access files across multiple devices, offices, and event locations. There’s no need to install software on every computer if it’s available in the cloud, and adding or removing licenses is much easier.

However, when it comes to pain points, this does create a major one: when you can’t access the cloud, it often means all of your applications and data are inaccessible. It’s like someone has slammed a door in your face and all you can do is sit on the curb and wait for your IT experts or server farm team to restore access. Sometimes the issue isn’t even with the software or hardware. A storm could knock out power or internet access, leaving you fully at the mercy of the elements and the repair crews. Unfortunately, this is one example of a pain point that often involves issues that are outside of your control.

Losing Data

When data is accidentally deleted or otherwise lost, it can set you back hours, days, or even weeks. Whether it was a single document or an entire database, losing your data is never something you want to deal with. While there are some common issues, such as user error, that can result in a few files being deleted, there are also major concerns, such as viruses that can wipe out an entire drive.

This is why it’s vital that you have an IT partner who will provide you with secure backup options. Without these backups, the data that was deleted could be gone forever. You may have to recreate all of it if it’s even possible to do so. If you’ve lost thousands or millions of customer records, you may have no way of recreating that data. In some cases, you might be able to reach out to the customers, but if their contact information was part of the data lost, you might not even have that option.

Wooden Spoon knows how vital data is—often, it drives every aspect of a business. We will make certain your information is backed up to a secure location and that it can be restored quickly. We do regular backups, so even if something does occur, your data loss will be minimal.

 

How Can You Alleviate Technology Pain Points?

Alleviating pain points often comes down to planning. Having backups will help minimize the pain caused by data loss while evaluating and updating tools will help reduce the pain caused by outdated, incompatible equipment and software. Working with a company such as Wooden Spoon can help you deal with these pain points and other, more severe ones, such as data breaches and other cyber-attacks.

Of course, there are some pain points you cannot eliminate or have control over. The example of someone being locked out for too many incorrect passwords is one of the former types—it’s necessary for security. Pain points you can’t control include the weather and issues arising from your internet provider.

However, by partnering with Wooden Spoon, you can greatly minimize the pain points you do have control over. Whether you want us to assist you with security or want us to handle all of your MSP needs, Wooden Spoon can help identify and address pain points to make your workflow smoother. Contact us today to learn more.