Written by: Kelsey Beauchamp
Four Technology Areas Every Growing Business in North Dakota, Minnesota & South Dakota Should Review
January probably looked very different than today.
Over the past six months, your business has hired employees, added software, upgraded equipment, and made countless technology decisions to keep operations moving forward.
Whether your company is located in Fargo, West Fargo, Moorhead, Grand Forks, Detroit Lakes, Wahpeton, Alexandria, Aberdeen, or elsewhere across North Dakota, Minnesota, or South Dakota, those changes can quietly introduce new technology risks.
As your business grows, user permissions change, new software gets added, backup strategies evolve, and responsibilities shift between employees, vendors, and IT providers.
A midyear technology review helps ensure your IT environment continues supporting your business—not slowing it down.
Here are four areas every business should review before the second half of the year.
1. Do the Right People Still Have the Right Access?
Employee access changes faster than most businesses realize.
New hires need immediate access.
Employees change positions.
Temporary permissions get added for special projects.
Former employees leave.
Unfortunately, those permissions rarely get cleaned up afterward.
Over time, many businesses discover:
- Employees have access they no longer need.
- Former employees still have active accounts.
- Nobody knows exactly who can access sensitive company information.
Good access management helps protect your business while ensuring employees can do their jobs efficiently.
Ask yourself:
If someone asked today who has access to your accounting system, shared files, email, or customer data, could you answer confidently?
2. Are Your Business Systems Working Together?
Most businesses don't intentionally create complicated technology.
It happens one good decision at a time.
Your sales team adopts a CRM.
Accounting adds new software.
Marketing implements automation tools.
Operations chooses a project management platform.
Each decision improves one department.
Collectively, those systems can become disconnected.
That often leads to:
- Duplicate data entry
- Inconsistent reporting
- Broken integrations
- Manual workarounds
- Reduced visibility across departments
Technology should simplify business operations—not create additional work.
Ask yourself:
Is your technology helping your employees work smarter, or are they constantly working around it?
3. Could Your Business Recover from an Outage?
Many businesses assume they're protected because backups exist.
But backups are only part of business continuity.
What really matters is knowing:
- How quickly systems can be restored.
- Who is responsible for recovery.
- Whether recovery procedures have been tested.
- How long your business can operate without critical systems.
Whether the interruption comes from ransomware, hardware failure, accidental deletion, or another unexpected event, preparation makes all the difference.
Business continuity isn't about hoping nothing happens.
It's about knowing exactly what happens next.
Ask yourself:
If your business lost access to critical systems tomorrow, how quickly could you get back to work?
4. Does Everyone Know Who Owns What?
As organizations grow, technology responsibilities naturally spread across employees, vendors, software providers, and IT partners.
Eventually, ownership becomes unclear.
When technology problems affect multiple systems, valuable time is often spent figuring out who should respond before anyone actually starts solving the issue.
Clear ownership improves response times and reduces downtime.
Everyone should know:
- Who manages each business system
- Who works with software vendors
- Who handles cybersecurity concerns
- Who leads during technology emergencies
Ask yourself:
If something unexpected happened today, would everyone know who is responsible?
Most Technology Risks Aren't Caused by What's Broken
They're caused by what has changed without being reviewed.
Successful businesses throughout North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota don't necessarily have more technology.
They simply understand how their technology supports the business.
A routine technology review helps ensure:
- User access stays current.
- Systems continue working together.
- Backup and recovery plans remain effective.
- Technology supports business growth.
- Security keeps pace with changing risks.
When technology is aligned with your business goals, your team spends less time troubleshooting and more time serving customers.
Schedule Your Midyear Technology Review
At Information Management Systems (IMS), we help businesses throughout North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota keep technology reliable, secure, and aligned with their goals.
From responsive IT support and cybersecurity to strategic technology planning and vendor coordination, our team helps organizations reduce risk while improving productivity.
A short discovery conversation can help identify opportunities to strengthen your technology environment before small issues become larger ones.
Ready to see where your technology stands?
Call us at 701-364-2718
Schedule your technology review today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should my business schedule a midyear technology review?
A midyear technology review helps ensure your IT systems, cybersecurity, user access, backups, and software are still aligned with your business goals. As businesses grow, technology changes quickly, making regular reviews an important part of reducing risk and improving efficiency.
How often should a business review its IT systems?
Most small and midsized businesses benefit from reviewing their technology at least annually. Many organizations choose quarterly or midyear reviews to stay ahead of security risks, software changes, and business growth.
What should be included in a technology review?
A comprehensive technology review typically includes user access, cybersecurity practices, backup and recovery planning, software performance, hardware lifecycle planning, vendor management, and overall technology alignment with your business objectives.
How do managed IT services help businesses in North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota?
Managed IT services provide proactive support, cybersecurity guidance, technology planning, system monitoring, and responsive help when issues arise. Instead of reacting to problems, businesses gain a trusted technology partner focused on reliability and long-term success.
Does IMS only work with businesses in Fargo?
No. Information Management Systems serves businesses throughout the Red River Valley and surrounding communities across North Dakota, western Minnesota, and eastern South Dakota. Our team supports organizations both remotely and onsite, depending on their needs.
