Why IT Shouldn’t Be an Afterthought: Building Tech into Your Growth Plans

For many small and mid-sized businesses, IT is still treated as something reactive: a department that resets passwords, fixes printers, and steps in when the Wi-Fi fails.

But in 2025, that approach is costing companies time, money, and competitive advantage.

Technology is no longer just a support function. It’s central to productivity, compliance, customer experience and profitability. SMEs that plan their growth around tech, not after it, are the ones moving faster, adapting better, and building long-term resilience.

Common SME Mindset: "We’ll Worry About That Later"

Many SMEs operate lean. And when priorities pile up: hiring, revenue, customer demands — technology can fall down the list. IT investment is often reactive:

• A new system is bought only after the old one fails.

• Cybersecurity tools are considered post-incident.

• Processes are built around spreadsheets, patched together with emails.

According to a 2024 survey by CompTIA, 58% of UK SMEs make IT decisions only when there’s an immediate need or disruption. That usually means higher costs, rushed deployments, and systems that don’t scale.

Technology Is a Growth Lever — Not a Cost Centre

When approached strategically, IT does more than support operations — it powers growth:

• Faster onboarding = faster hiring

• Integrated systems = reduced admin

• Cloud-based tools = flexible, remote-ready teams

• Customer portals & CRMs = better retention and satisfaction

• AI automation = leaner processes and fewer mistakes

A McKinsey report from Q1 2025 found that SMEs that invested in cloud and automation as part of their growth strategy saw 32% higher revenue growth over 18 months than those that didn’t.

What Happens When You Don’t Plan IT Early

Delaying IT planning often leads to “technical debt” — the accumulated cost of choosing quick fixes over scalable solutions.

Symptoms of this include:

• Outdated servers that can’t run modern software

• Teams using a mix of Dropbox, Google Drive, USBs and email to share files

• Inconsistent security policies across systems

• Staff relying on manual data entry or duplicate tasks

As your business grows, these small inefficiencies become major bottlenecks — wasting time, introducing errors, and frustrating teams.

Where to Build IT Into Business Planning

Here’s where proactive technology planning delivers the most value:

1. New Hires & Department Growth

• Automate onboarding (accounts, emails, app access)

• Use identity management (e.g. Microsoft Entra, Google Admin) to control who has access to what

• Provide remote-ready, secure devices from day one

2. New Locations or Hybrid Work Models

• Use cloud file systems (SharePoint, Google Drive, Dropbox Business)

• Move telecoms to VoIP/UCaaS for location flexibility

• Centralise support through a managed service provider

3. Sales and Customer Experience

• Use a CRM that integrates with email, forms, chat (e.g. HubSpot, Zoho, Pipedrive)

• Automate follow-ups, deal tracking, and reporting

• Implement customer portals or live chat for self-service

4. Finance and Reporting

• Integrate accounting with your CRM or ERP

• Use AI-powered tools (e.g. Power BI, QuickBooks AI) for forecasting

• Automate invoice approvals, reconciliations, and expenses

5. Cybersecurity and Compliance

• Build security policies into onboarding

• Set up regular device patching and cloud backups

• Use managed detection and response (MDR) services for small teams

Proactive Planning Is Cheaper Than Reactive Fixes

Tech investment doesn’t need to break the budget — but not investing always costs more in the long run.

Fixing a ransomware infection can run into the tens of thousands. Replacing unscalable systems causes downtime. Hiring rushed consultants to solve a breach or migration issue is always more expensive than planning ahead.

With a roadmap, even small businesses can introduce systems in phases:

• Cloud migration in Q1

• Device refresh in Q2

• CRM rollout in Q3

• Security upgrades in Q4

This avoids financial shock and builds tech maturity steadily.

How to Start Building IT Into Your Business Strategy

If you don’t have an in-house IT lead, your managed service provider (MSP) should offer:

• Strategic planning sessions aligned to your business goals

• Annual tech audits and roadmaps

• Support for licensing, security, cloud systems and more

• Advice on when to scale or switch platforms

The key is to stop seeing IT as a one-off project — and start treating it as part of your ongoing business planning, just like finance or operations.

IT shouldn’t be an afterthought. If your team is growing, your services are expanding, or your customers are expecting more — then your technology should evolve with them.

Proactive planning means fewer disruptions, smarter decisions, and stronger margins. And for SMEs in the UK, it’s not about doing more ... it’s about doing it right, from the start.