Tech Debt 2. 0

Small and mid-sized businesses matter more than ever, driving local communities and a healthy economy, yet their technology choices can quietly put that success at risk. Technical debt, a familiar idea in IT, has traditionally built up when a company gives up long-term scalability and performance to reach a short-term target, such as launching quickly. Because technology changes so fast and SMBs face distinct IT problems, the concept needs updating. Michael C. Fillios proposes Tech Debt 2.0, which he describes as reaching the whole organization, shaping the ability to hire skilled people, the process of mergers and acquisitions, market competition, cyber security, and other areas. Carrying too much of it, or handling it poorly, can lead to severe harm, including tech bankruptcy.

Tech Debt 2.0: How to Future Proof Your Small Business and Improve Your Tech Bottom Line is written to help SMB owners and leaders understand and manage this debt. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience across business, finance and IT leadership, Fillios offers practical guidance and the insights he calls "key tech-aways." Readers learn how to diagnose and measure their Tech Debt 2.0 score, strengthen their technology bottom line, lower the danger of tech bankruptcy, and prepare their companies for future change.

The book argues that viewing technology spending as a necessary evil, and leaving technical debt unmanaged, puts a small business's survival at risk. It is aimed at business owners who want to use technology deliberately and build what the author calls tech equity so their companies can compete and grow in the modern technology landscape.