Are you a technology expert?  Well, I’m not!  There is so much to learn and new developments emerge daily.  It’s no wonder that a person who is really a marketer or lawyer might struggle a bit when it comes to managing hardware, software, applications and such.  While I was surfing the net today, I found this really great article, Managing the Technological Side of Your Business When You Don’t Understand Technology.  The article gives practical information about finding help with technology for e-commerce businesses.  However, it’s still good advice no matter what your industry.

Additionally, here are my top 3 reasons for why it’s a good idea to get help with technology:

1.  Save your sanity.  Sometimes it takes hours to figure out how to answer a technology questions and that’s if you ever find the answer at all.  Why not save time by having someone who already knows to help you.  Often times, clicking on one little box will give you the results you need.

2.  Increase your productivity.  Technology, after all, is supposed to help us work faster, connect better, be more informed and more.  Do you know the all the right tools to use to help you reach your business goals more efficiently?

3.  Organize yourself.   In real estate it’s location.  For technology it’s organization.  Consider your email.   Have you created rules for your incoming emails so that they will be categorized and easy to find?  Do you use a toolbar to help you easily utilize the different areas of Outlook?  For example, I use an Outlook toolbar that allows me to see a profile complete with picture of anyone who sends me an email.  That little add on allows me to see how to connect with the people who email me through other means such as Twitter or LinkedIn.  It also threads all the email conversations I have with a person and keeps the attachments in one place.  As a social media consultant, this tool is very valuable to me.

 I hope this advice is helpful when you find yourself short one IT department.