The right technology can be a major differentiator for small and midsize businesses. Modernizing your IT can set you apart from your competitors, whatever size they may be. In fact, a study from Boston Consulting Group found that technology leaders-defined as businesses who adopt new technology early-far outperform their peers in the marketplace. They create jobs almost twice as fast as other small and midsize businesses. And they increase annual revenues 15% faster than their peers*.

But how do you get there? From cloud computing to the explosion in mobile devices, navigating today’s technology landscape can be difficult. Finding the right collaboration tools, email service and databases in one platform is key.

Some things to consider when evaluating your organization’s technology plan:

• Select a platform that enables people to work together from anywhere
• Keep data protected-on your mobile devices, your server, and the cloud
• Get a more flexible IT platform that can turn on a dime to meet changing business needs
• Make sure the platform can span the entire IT ecosystem, from server to cloud, and desktop to mobile devices.

Especially if you have aging software that is approaching end of support, such as Windows XP, Office 2003, or Windows Server 2003, now is the time to consider modernizing your IT.

What have you found the best technology platforms to be? What works for you, and what doesn’t? Let us know in the comments!