Running a small business often means wearing many hats — so what do you do when it's time to evaluate your technology? You don’t need an IT department to conduct a simple, effective technology audit. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you assess and improve your tech setup.

1. Inventory

Start by listing all the technology you use: computers, software, phones, cloud solutions, and hardware. Don’t forget those old printers in the corner! You can’t manage what you don’t know you have. It’s a good principle. Everything you use with your business should be known: make, model, serial number, date of purchase, and how much you spent. Also, think about software. Write that down! Great from an IT Management standpoint as well as for insurance claims. Do your best to maintain this list so it’s as accurate as it can be.

2. Redundancy and Hidden Costs

Are you paying for two tools or two pieces of software that do the same thing? Identify where you can consolidate and save. Are there devices or software in your inventory that’s incurring annual costs or charges? Fees that serve only to milk you? Get rid of them!

3. Subscriptions

Use your financial system to track down monthly or annual subscriptions. Are you still using all the services you're paying for? Prioritize what’s important, what adds value, what doesn’t. Get rid of service subscriptions that don’t serve you.

4. Friction

Anything that requires your manual intervention — from opening physical letters and depositing physical checks to manually writing correspondence to manually making a telephone call — creates friction. Friction saps your time and energy; more friction = more cost. Assess ways you can use automation to reduce friction and free up your time. This is a great skill that could lead you towards transforming your business processes, a more advanced outcome of IT audits.

5. Security

Review who has access to what, especially you. Do passwords get updated regularly? Consider using a password manager if you aren’t already. What’s the state of your backups and encryption? Risks abound. Are you prepared?

6. Feedback

There’s no shame in asking for help. Technology evolves fast. Build a wish list of updates or upgrades you might need over the next 12 months. Talk to a technology consultant. Bring your audits to them for review and ideas.

Even without an IT department, a basic tech audit helps you stay organized, save money, and position your business for growth. Still, need a professional touch? I can help!

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