When you think of IT, is it the guy in khakis buried in a server closet?
If that’s what you’re imagining, you’re stuck in the past and that outdated mindset is costing you.
When most people think about technology, they picture the visible pieces… computers, servers, desktops. We need to reframe the conversation and start thinking more holistically. That’s why we use the word “technology” instead of just “IT.” It’s broader and encompasses not just devices and infrastructure, but culture, strategy, governance, and user experience.
No one expects to spend less on technology next year. Every industry expert says the same thing year after year: IT budgets are only going up.
The question isn’t if you’ll invest in technology, it’s how you’ll do it strategically. Without a plan, you’re reacting instead of leading. You need a roadmap to clarify your priorities, align your team, and make sure your investments actually solve real problems, not just patch them.
Because let’s face it, technology is no longer just a support tool. It’s a competitive differentiator. The communities that treat it like a core part of their strategic vision are the ones that will thrive.
The Pyramid: What It Really Takes
I like to visualize technology as a pyramid. Building a smart technology strategy isn’t about reacting to the latest trend or buying the next flashy tool. It’s about vision, alignment, and intention.
We use the pyramid as a framework to guide that process. It’s about how your organization thinks, operates, and plans for the future. Each layer of the pyramid builds on the one before it, and skipping steps puts your entire strategy at risk.
So before diving into innovation or tossing another system into the mix, it’s worth asking:
- Do you have the right foundation?
- Are your systems aligned with your goals?
- Is your leadership team on the same page about what technology means for your future?
A true tech strategy is built in layers with intention, clarity, and a whole lot of real-world experience behind it.
Here’s how we stack the layers, why each one matters and real-world examples.
- Infrastructure
At the base of the pyramid are the traditional IT elements: infrastructure, operations, and security. This is where most organizations begin and unfortunately, where many stop. But infrastructure isn’t just about servers and switches. It’s about whether your entire environment is built to support what’s coming next.
We ask the bigger questions:
- Is your network redundant and secure?
- Are your systems scalable and designed with future growth in mind?
- Do you have clear lifecycle planning, strong disaster recovery protocols, and a user support model that empowers your team?
This is where the conversation begins. Before you can build a strong technology strategy, you need to understand your current mindset. Are you still seeing technology as a support function, or are you ready to leverage it as a strategic driver of change?
Real-Life Example: We partnered with a client whose strategic goals included implementing sensor technology that year. When we assessed their environment, it became clear their infrastructure couldn’t support it and there was no reliable Wi-Fi in key areas. Before we could even think about launching the innovation, we had to build the foundational systems required to support that goal. Without that groundwork, the project would’ve failed before it even started.
- Business Systems
The next layer of the pyramid are business systems, the platforms and applications that drive your day-to-day operations. EMRs, payroll and HR tools, marketing CRMs, dining systems, and more. These systems are what keep your departments running. But more often than not, they’re holding you back.
Here’s what we find time and time again:
- You’re using too many systems when one could do the job.
- You’ve got systems that don’t talk to each other, creating endless manual work.
- Or worse, you’re still relying on paper or spreadsheets, which makes pulling meaningful data next to impossible.
System sprawl is real. And it’s one of the biggest pain points we uncover during our assessments. Why? Because business systems usually aren’t owned by the tech department, they’re scattered across departments with no centralized oversight or strategy. That’s where governance comes in.
We help you build cross-functional alignment through a steering committee to make smarter decisions about what systems to keep, what to eliminate, and how to ensure everything works together. Integration and optimization aren’t just buzzwords, they’re the difference between making data-driven decisions and flying blind.
You can’t innovate without first getting your business systems in order. If you want to harness AI, predictive analytics, or automation, your data has to be accessible, consistent, and coming from the right sources. You can’t build the top of the pyramid if your middle is chaos.
Real-Life Example: It’s incredibly common for us to encounter communities still relying heavily on spreadsheets and manual processes. In one case, a client had a digital work order system, but instead of using it as intended, their team was printing out each work order, handwriting notes, and then re-entering the information manually into the system. Not only was this doubling their workload, but it introduced unnecessary errors and delays.
- Tech Culture
Tech culture isn’t about tools, it’s about how your organization thinks about technology. Is it baked into leadership conversations, or is it an afterthought? Is it seen as an enabler for staff and residents, or as a frustrating barrier?
Technology isn’t going anywhere. It’s already embedded in everything from staffing to resident engagement. With tech spending only going up, the real question is: how is your organization going to manage it?
This is where culture comes in. You need to define who you want to be:
- Are you leading-edge? Bleeding-edge?
- Do you want your team to view technology as something that makes their jobs easier or just another system they have to learn?
Your tech culture should answer these questions clearly. It starts with leadership awareness and buy-in. Leaders must be willing to champion technology, even when it requires change, and build a vision that aligns systems, processes, and people around a shared goal.
Without a strong tech culture, even the best tools fall flat. With it, you create an environment where innovation thrives and technology empowers everyone it touches.
Real-Life Example: When we engage with new communities, one of the first things we ask is whether leadership has discussed their approach to tech culture: how they define it, plan for it, and align around it. More often than not, the answer is no. In some cases, each leader has a completely different perspective on what technology means for the organization. There’s no shared vision, no unified strategy, just a lot of assumptions.
- Innovation
Innovation is the fun part: AI, robotics, smart tech, predictive analytics. It’s what everyone wants to talk about. The reality is if you haven’t built the foundational layers first, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Without strong infrastructure, integrated business systems, and an aligned tech culture, innovation becomes just another flashy tool that never gets off the ground. We’ve seen it happen too often: a team gets excited, meets a vendor at a conference, buys the next big thing… and six months later, it’s collecting dust because no one owns it, no one uses it, and no one planned for it.
We treat innovation with the same discipline as any other layer. That means:
- Vetting vendors with clear use cases
- Ensuring your infrastructure and data are ready
- Building the right team to implement, manage, and sustain new technologies
Innovation isn’t a one-off. It’s a strategic decision that requires planning, ownership, and alignment across your organization. When you do it right, it’s powerful. But when you skip steps, it’s expensive noise.
Real-Life Example: We had one client that had invested in a falls management system, expecting it to enhance resident safety. But when it came time to implement, they couldn’t fully utilize the technology because they didn’t have the Wi-Fi coverage needed to support it. The solution? They had to hardwire each room just to make the system functional. It’s a clear example of how skipping the foundational layers can stall even the best-intentioned innovation.
Final Thoughts: Build with Intention, Not Assumptions
Technology isn’t a checklist, it’s a strategy. In today’s senior living landscape, treating it like an afterthought is no longer an option. When you build your technology strategy layer by layer, you create a foundation that doesn’t just support your goals, it accelerates them.
Too many organizations chase the shiny object at the top without realizing their base is unstable. The communities that take the time to do it right? They’re not just surviving, they’re leading.
Let’s build your technology pyramid with intention and make sure every layer supports the future you’re working toward.
📩 Ready to get started? Let’s talk.
