Common IT Problems in Creative Agencies (And How to Fix Them)
HELPING CREATIVE AGENCIES MAKE SMARTER IT DECISIONS
Whether you’re a design studio, marketing or advertising agency, architectural practice, or event experience team, creative businesses tend to encounter many of the same technology challenges.
In this guide, we outline the most common problems we see, and how the right IT approach can help solve them.
1. Slow Storage That Kills Productivity
Nothing kills your teams productivity more than waiting for their files to open or save, and this isn't an uncommen occurance.
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Designers working with large Photoshop, or 3D files often experience:
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Long file load times
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Lag when saving projects
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Teams waiting to access shared assets
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Performance slows during busy periods
These are usually symptoms of creative teams who rely on outdated servers or very basic cloud storage that weren’t designed for the size of files and levels of collaboration needed.
THE FIX​
Good news is there are specialist solutions out there that can stop these issues from affecting you, it just needs a slightly different approach.
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A modern setup typically includes:
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Hybrid Studio storage for speed and flexibility
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Local caching for instant file access
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Intelligent syncing between offices and remote users
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Scalable storage that grows with projects
The result of this kind of set-up? Files that open instantly and collaborating on projects becomes pain free. For creatives that spend most of their day doing work with these kind of files, getting this right can make an incredible differnece do your agencies overall productivity and it's defintiely worth speak to you IT provider to make sure you've got the right solution in place.
2. Adobe Creative Cloud Performance Issues
When Adobe apps misbehave, it can significantly impact your creative teams.
Common complaints include:
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Adobe apps crashing unexpectedly
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Licensing or login problems
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Fonts not syncing correctly
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Slow rendering or exporting
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Version conflicts between team members
These issues are rarely caused by Adobe alone, they’re usually linked to device configuration, storage speed, permissions, or even just the way your network is setup.
THE FIX​
If these are issues your facing, it most likely is becuase you don't have the right IT infrastructure in place to properly support it.
Thing that might need checking include:
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Correct Mac and workstation specification
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Optimised storage locations for project files
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Proper user permissions and profile management
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Consistent app version control across teams
When your IT systems are configured correctly, Adobe is able to work reliably and should mean these frustration rarely crop up.
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3. Hybrid Working That Doesn’t Quite Work
Many agencies have adopted a very hybrid/remote working set-up for their team quickly, which of course comes with many benefits. However, sometimes the technology struggles to keep up and deliver the same experience as it did when your employees were office based.
Teams experience:
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Slow VPN connections
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Difficulty accessing and working on files remotely
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Duplicate project versions
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Remote users feeling disconnected from studio workflows
The issue here is creative collaboration can break down quickly when remote access feels different from being in the office.
THE FIX​
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If you have the right tools in place remote working should feel seamless.
To overcome these challenges creative environments often have to use:
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Cloud-integrated shared storage
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Secure identity-based access instead of legacy VPNs
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Real-time collaboration tools
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Location-independent workflows
The aim is to proivde your designers the same experience at home as in the studio, or even on location. This should enable you Team to maintain the same level of performance and productivity wherever they're working from. ​
4. File Chaos and Version Confusion
It's not at all uncommon to find a FINAL_v9_REALLYREALLYFINAL.indd on a creative team members desktop. But having files stored across desktops, drives, cloud folders, or even email attachments can quickly become impossibleto keep up-to-date with and manage.
This leads to:
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Lost work
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Incorrect versions sent to clients
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Storage duplication
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Security risks
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Wasted billable hours searching for files and assets
THE FIX​
To get file management right in your agency you need to make sure it's properly structured. That doesn't have to mean lot's of restrictions, but it does mean making sure the tools you use are set up correctly and your team understand and stick to the process.
The kind of structure we see agencies with smart file management implement:
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Centralised project storage
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Clear folder architecture
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Permission-based access
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Automated backups and version history
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Consistent naming and collaboration workflows
You'll know you're getting this right if you feel having this structure in place supports your teams creativity, instead of slowing it down.
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Why Creative Agencies Need Specialist IT Support
One way of overcoming all these common challenges is by working with a creative speciailist IT provider who already understands them, knows how to fix them, and in some cases have even developed solutions with the sole purpose of solving them.
Generic IT setups often struggle because they’re designed for spreadsheets, not studios.
At Counterpoint, we specialise in supporting creative agencies with IT environments built specifically for design, media, architecture, and production teams.
Our focus is simple: removing technical friction so your team can concentrate on creative work, not juggle the roles of designer and part-time IT technician.
Related Guides
If you've found this helpful, take a look at our other guides aimed to answer common technology questions in the creative industries.
Read our Google Workspace best practices guide designed specifically for creative teams. Learn how structures such as better file organisation and permissions can improve...
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