While news sources might lead the layman to believe that most issues facing the typical SMB come from cyber criminals lurking online, the reality is far less dramatic. However, this misconception makes these issues no less serious, and still things to prepare for. Let’s review some of the most common causes of technological issues in the office environment.
New technology paves the way for businesses to leverage their resources in exciting ways. Of course, it’s impossible to take advantage of these benefits if you don’t even know these new technologies exist. Therefore, to help you achieve an edge over your competition, consider how these four new technologies can enhance your business model.
Your business relies on technology to keep operations moving, but your technology relies on you to stay functional. While many small businesses will choose to forsake an in-house IT department in favor of a self-service model, this is a costly maintenance practice that could put your IT in jeopardy. Instead, your organization should invest in our managed IT services, which have the possibility to show your business an entirely new way of managing technology assets.
Social media is a phenomenon that has invaded the business world in more ways than one. While it might be a great way to endorse your brand and communicate with your local prospects, it can be a huge distraction for your in-house workers. A new study by communications agency, We Are Flint, claims that 84 percent of adults in the UK use social media, and two-thirds of them use it every day--be it at the office or at home.
Now that mobile devices have taken over the workplace, you need to consider the security of your business’s data more than ever before. You need to think about which devices access certain data, as well as what they do with that data. In particular, you need to make sure that only your employees can access corporate information, and there are several ways to do so.
The online business environment is a dangerous place, especially with threats such as viruses, malware, and worse, all hiding in plain sight. Organizations need to take advantage of comprehensive security solutions that can cover all modes of attack, but finding an affordable enterprise-level solution can be challenging for SMBs. Thankfully, a Unified Threat Management (UTM) solution provides comprehensive coverage that today’s businesses need.
When it comes to cloud computing, the small business has plenty of choices. There are several different types of clouds, but depending on your business’s specific needs, you can narrow it down to three: the public, private, and hybrid varieties. Many businesses are finding that the public cloud is a more valuable asset than a private or hybrid cloud. We’ll dig into the details and explain to you what these benefits could mean for your business.
We all know the dangers of doing business with the Internet. Even a small business has sensitive information that could potentially be stolen. While it’s important to take preventative measures to keep threats out of your infrastructure, it’s equally as important to have measures put into place that can detect threats within your infrastructure.
It’s no secret that one of the best ways to improve your business’s operations is by investing in quality technology solutions. However, as is the case with any type of organizational spending, IT expenditures are subject to change. After a brief hiatus, Gartner predicts that next year will be another big year in which organizations invest heavily in new technology and IT systems.
The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and there is no exception when it comes to your business technology. No matter how well-thought-out your systems are, you are always at a risk of some unforeseen threat causing havoc. In order to truly be prepared for anything, you need to implement a backup and disaster recovery solution for your business.
In the business world, you rely on agile and secure access to critical documents on a number of different devices. However, security can quickly become a problem, especially when your users have multiple devices. Is your file sharing service enough to keep your data safe? Or, if it’s not, what are you going to do about it?
If you have an internal IT department, chances are that they’re functioning in a similar manner to a help desk team. They provide technology support for your less-adept employees, or those who encounter errors that they’re unable to resolve. Chances are that your IT department could use a hand every now and then, so here are a few ways you can lighten their help desk workload to free up time for more efficient purposes.
Whether we’re ready for it or not, the Internet of Things is coming, and soon. You might see all sorts of connected devices on the market today that you would never think to connect to the Internet, but it’s our responsibility to inform you that these new devices could potentially put not just your business infrastructure at risk, but even your own life.
Chances are that you’re fed up with your in-house telephone network. It may have once been necessary to communicate with your employees and your clients by using a landline, but the modern office has since moved toward a more digital alternative in the form of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony.
There’s no doubting that data backup is a critical component of any small and medium-sized business’s infrastructure. Backup and disaster recovery is important in the event that your organization experiences a death-blow in the form of a data loss disaster. Yet, there’s some debate as to whether an on-site data backup solution can be as effective as the cloud. The verdict: both are essential.
Have you ever taken a broken-down workstation or server unit to a break-fix IT technician, only to have them resolve the problem and demolish your IT budget with absurd costs? For small businesses that can’t afford to hire an on-site IT department, this is a common occurrence. Thankfully, the SMB now has more options than ever before for how they want their IT to be managed, and it all starts with managed IT services.
One of the biggest concerns that business owners have with remote workers is being able to control and centralize communication. A worker in the office can be plugged right into the company phone system, but how does this translate to those who work from home some or all of the time?
Ransomware is an online threat that continues to develop and evolve to accommodate the motives of cyber criminals around the world. Ransomware locks down your business’s files and demands a decryption key for their safe return, which makes it difficult (or impossible) to move forward with operations. How can you prevent ransomware from destroying your business’s chances of survival?
USB technology is widely-used and you’d be hard-pressed to find an organization that doesn’t utilize USB devices in some way, shape, or form. However, these devices often harbor unexpected threats that could put the security of your entire infrastructure in jeopardy. All it takes is one infected device to compromise your network. Do you know where your USB devices have been?
Technology can be a constant pain point for businesses of all kinds. Due to the ever-evolving nature of technology solutions, it’s tempting to cave in and purchase the latest and greatest innovations in the industry. Yet, does your business have the time to do so, let alone the budget? Progress can be stymied by a lack of funds and personnel, but it doesn’t have to be.
