This is technical debt

Debt is a word we are familiar with. Debt is the collective term for the mortgage, student loan and other types of loans you may have. "Technical debt" is perhaps a new term for those of you who do not work with IT and in the tech world. It's no wonder.

Let's explain what it is: 

Technical debt is when you or your colleagues make quick decisions and introduce simple solutions to technical problems. These decisions can, in the long term, lead to greater future costs for the company.

The needs often arise internally and the solution is urgent. You should of course have this in place, preferably yesterday. Many also forget that they have "solved" a number of such needs during the year because things have to happen quickly.

When might the future costs appear?

How long it will take before the technical debt actually arrives, there is no conclusion. What we do know, however, is that many will experience technical debt in 2023 because they have not taken a position on digital security. Or have not prepared employees for digital threats or attempted attacks and hacking. Some also experience technical debt because they have merged companies and departments that previously used a little bit of everything to solve everyday problems. For the latter, it is often a more natural process than for companies that do not undergo major changes.

So you can most likely predict when your technical debt will come if you look at what you do internally and compare it to what the recommendation is from IT and security experts. If you want to know what our experts think about this, then you can check out our articles on digitization. Take a look here!

Examples of technical debt

Since technical debt is a new term, it is nice to have some examples. Here are experiences that many people know about during their working life.

Everyday examples:

  • Have you ever had people send you files via a public file sharing service because they have no formal system in place? An internal and secure system could lead to less stress and definitely make the process safer.
  • Has a colleague suddenly called and told you that they have bought the digital gift cards you asked for by email? Phishing mail is something more and more software can help you detect. So that you avoid the loss of both money, files and employee data.

Formal examples:

  • The GDPR legislation changed in 2018. When the new rules for privacy were introduced, many companies had to undertake a serious clean-up of their technical solutions to safeguard privacy. It was expensive. Some still escaped because they had done a proper job with their digital infrastructure. Thus, it cost less money and took less time for them to get on the right side of the legislation.
  • Google Analytics is in rough weather this year. Many people use and have used Google Analytics in their insight work for many years. The Norwegian Data Protection Authority announced earlier this year that the analysis tool should be phased out, because it does not comply with privacy. So what now? Is it worth finding a solution at the last minute when the Norwegian Data Protection Authority has made its formal recommendations, or is it wise to look for a solution already today?
  • Growing pains for small and medium-sized businesses. Has the company grown and you have employed more people in a short time? Have the IT systems followed suit, or are you still using the start-up solutions to this day? There may be some painful growing pains to overcome. The cost of introducing a proper IT system and software that can scale and grow with you can be a good solution. Then you can already now focus on building a business rather than sending the "IT hat" around.

Our tips on how to escape technical debt

The star tip: Don't let quick decisions tempt you. Do it right the first time. It will be worth the money.

Other tips:

  • Investigate what the technical problem is, get help if necessary
  • Get answers to when and where the challenges arise
  • Search for internal or external actors who can solve this problem for you if you do not have the knowledge
  • Find answers to whether there is software that can solve the problem
  • Get help to create good routines that help ensure that new solutions do not create more "technical debt"
  • Invest time and money. In any case, it will cost less now than in a month or a year when you are in the middle of a digital crisis

Do you already have some technical debt?

If you read through this article and recognize yourself in the examples we outline here, then we recommend that you address it as soon as possible. Our customer advisors have a very good technical understanding and can answer the questions you cannot find the answer to yourself. They are also very skilled at uncovering challenges and needs (we say completely objectively, of course). Contact them here: Contact Us.

If you are not quite ready to make contact, we recommend articles about security on the BLOG. There we tell you most things in a language everyone can understand. We especially recommend; 7 reasons why digitization is a win-win for you and What consequences can a data attack have for you?. Happy reading!

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