Report: IT in traditional companies in 2024
Instead of repeating slogans about digitalization, we sat down to hard data from our last 37 implementations. We checked what actually changed in the offices and on the production floors of our clients over the last 12 months.
Access to data is more important than new features
In 23 production companies we worked with last year, the biggest pain point was not the lack of modern systems, but file chaos. Office workers lost an average of 32 minutes a day just looking for the current version of an order or invoice. That's over two hours a week thrown away. Our analysis shows that simply organizing the folder structure and introducing quick search filters shortened this time to 9 minutes. This is a pure gain of time without buying expensive licenses.
Most owners fear that new IT will turn their company upside down. Our data from 2024 says otherwise. We achieved the best results where we introduced technology the human way, meaning adapted to how people already work. In one construction warehouse near Poznań, instead of teaching the team how to operate a new panel, we simply integrated their old program with a simple code reader. The effect? 27% fewer mistakes in issuing goods in the very first month.
People don't need a revolution in the computer. They just want the system to stop interfering with their work.
We respect old rules and old servers
We often hear that everything must go to the cloud. The report shows that for 14 of our service sector clients, a traditional server in the office is still a better solution. If the equipment is 4-6 years old and works efficiently, there is no point in throwing it away. We focused on securing these machines against failures and attacks. Thanks to regular backups performed every 4 hours, in two cases we managed to recover data after a power failure in less than 110 minutes.
Process diplomacy is our approach, which proved successful in 9 out of 10 projects. It consists of the fact that we don't change company regulations under the dictate of IT specialists. If a rule has been in place at a plant for 8 years that every delegation must have a paper signature, the IT system must account for that. In the report, we see that companies that kept their traditional decision-making paths implemented new tools 19 days faster than those that tried to force a structural change.
Costs no one talks about loudly
Analyzing our clients' spending, we noticed an interesting correlation. Companies that bought off-the-shelf software without any modifications spent about 4,300 PLN more on additional technical support over a year than those that opted for a simple, tailored system. It turns out that an excess of features no one uses only complicates work and generates unnecessary questions for the service desk. At the Corporate Innovation Embassy, we focus on minimalism – we install only what actually pays for itself.
It's also worth mentioning electricity. In 7 accounting offices we care for, optimizing server settings and replacing the two oldest units allowed for energy bills in the server room to be reduced by 14% on a quarterly scale. It's a small amount, in the range of 280-350 PLN per month, but over a year it allows for funding a proper security audit. Without breaking what works, you can find savings where no one looks for them.
Conclusions for the second half of the year
The most important lesson from our 37 projects? IT must be predictable. Business owners in Greater Poland value peace more than technological novelties. An effective implementation is one that employees forget about after two weeks because it becomes as natural for them as a phone on the desk. In 2025, we will put even more emphasis on the stability of remote connections, because 63% of the companies we surveyed declared that at least one office employee works partially from home.
If you are planning changes in your company, start by reviewing what you already have. It often turns out that a minor adjustment in network settings or replacing one switch for 450 PLN is enough to speed up work by 18%. Don't be talked into big systems if your team consists of 12 people. Technology is meant to serve you, not you the technology. We respect old rules because they built your business.
Effective IT is the kind you can't see, because it just works every morning.
