When Operating in Silicon Hills, You Can’t Afford Not to Invest in IT

Austin—or, as it’s known to some, “Silicon Hills”—has quietly served as a force in the tech world for years now. As such, the investments that Austin businesses make into their IT can be considered very impactful. After all, look who they’ll unavoidably be compared to. This makes it crucial that you prioritize your own technology investments. 

Let’s consider the advancements Austin has made, in regards to competing with Silicon Valley—and what you can do to keep pace. 

Austin Has Seen Considerable Growth Due (in Part) to Migrating Tech Workers

Silicon Valley has seen an exodus of IT talent, despite being the location for the IT industry. A vast number of these workers have chosen to migrate to Austin over the last decade or so—the city has actually seen a growth rate that doubles that of Texas as a whole, at 33.7% compared to 16.8%, and an employment growth rate that has outpaced Texas’ and the entire United States from 2010 to 2020. In addition, the city almost doubled in population from 2000 to 2020.

This means that there are many new businesses being formed, all with the need for IT systems and—particularly considering that the working-age population has grown by almost 10%—the willingness to use them.

It also doesn’t hurt that the cost of living is reportedly 98% higher in San Francisco than it is in Austin, and that bigger names in tech (like Google, Apple, and Atlassian) have established a presence in the city. Not that it matters all too much, because these same names and more have also embraced remote work capabilities—thereby allowing their employees to collect the salaries of Silicon Valley while living and working in the far more affordable and still culturally engaging Silicon Hills.

So, What Does This Mean for Your Business?

In short, technology is an investment you want (really, need) to make. Your potential and prospective clients will have an impression based on what other providers are offering. It is important that you can offer more value.

This is something that the right IT can certainly help to facilitate.

Productivity is a Smart Aspect of Your Business to Focus On

Almost without regard for your industry, productivity is a smart avenue to direct your attention to. Let’s touch on a few technologies that different business types can use to boost their productivity and efficiency. For instance:

Cloud Computing

When it comes to productivity, cloud computing is a big one—particularly with its benefits to remote work. Whether you’re using the cloud to store data, virtualize your desktops, provide your critical software, or any combination of its many more capabilities, the cloud just makes it more convenient to do so.

Voice over Internet Protocol

Again, with remote operations remaining popular, reliable communications have only grown in importance for your team to be able to work together. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) gives you and your team members a telephone connection that can be brought wherever an Internet connection can be established. As a result, it becomes even simpler for remote workers to communicate with their distant collaborative colleagues, enabling them to accomplish more.

Internet of Things

The Internet of Things, or IoT, has garnered a little bit of a reputation as a consumer commodity. Practically speaking, however, it has many uses that can greatly boost a business’ efficiency…, particularly when paired with automation. Having processes triggered by an IoT device’s input can free up a lot of your employees’ time to focus on other tasks that require more attention.

Electronic Medical Records

EMR technology, while a more niche example than the others we’ve mentioned, is no less of a smart idea for the applicable organizations to implement. By storing patient data in a secure, yet still collaborative, manner, these records can be safely accessed by physicians and other healthcare professionals as needed, augmenting patient care and outcomes.

Austin Businesses Have a Resource to Turn To for Their Tech Needs

If you’re interested in hopping on Austin’s IT bandwagon for your business’ benefit, we encourage you to consider our services here at Capstone Works. We’ll shape a strategy that serves your needs and fits your business. Give us a call at (512) 343-8891 to learn more.