We get it, your business is all encompassing. Day in day out, the decisions you make today will affect your business far into the future. Making smart technology decisions is easy if you know the common pitfalls and mistakes to avoid. While each business and start-up face different technology needs, the following list applies to almost any business.

 

Not Backing Up Your Data

• It’s impossible to stress this enough. Just like you have an insurance policy to protect your home, auto, and personal belongings from loss or damage, you need a similar insurance policy for your business data.  Imagine what would happen to your business if you lost your critical files, financial information, or customer data?  What would it cost you to recover from such an incident—not just in terms of money, but also in lost time, lost customers and damaged reputation?
• Two very important things to know here. ALWAYS make regular computer backups and ALWAYS test those backups to ensure you are able to restore files.
• The easiest and most pain-free way to do this is with encrypted backup software, such as XXX company, that automatically backups up your files, securely stores multiple copies offsite or in the cloud, and enables one-click restore of any file or folder.

 

Your Business Plan Doesn’t Include an IT Plan:

• Include a roadmap for your technology (IT strategy) needs that you will review annually (or sooner depending on business growth)
• When budgeting for technology, be sure to consider the total cost of ownership (TCO), not just the purchase price of the hardware, software, or services you buy. TCO includes expenses for software/hardware upgrades, potential for technical support or a technical person/staff, as well as additional costs for licenses, renewals, subscription fees etc.
• One major consideration is what you will do in the event your technology is offline or unavailable. How will you continue to run your business? This should be the focus of your Business Continuity Plan and Disaster Recovery Plan.

 

Security Through Obsecurity = Bad Strategy

• Some small business owners believe that because of their size they have a lower risk of being targeted by cyber thieves. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
• In addition to the robustness of your technology infrastructure, the security of your computers and files should be every business owner’s number one concern. Online viruses, phishing scams and ransomware are more abundant than ever, and businesses need to adopt a layered IT security defense .
• On your computers and servers, ensure all software remains up-to-date by allowing automatic software updates. Never postpone critical updates or security patches for more than 24 hours, and make sure you have an anti-virus program running on all your devices.
• On your network, make sure your internet and wifi connections are encrypted and secured. If you have a firewall, make sure your IT support has blocked all unnecessary incoming traffic.
• Users must also take measures to protect their passwords. Best practices include changing passwords regularly, using unique passwords for every site, and never writing passwords down or sharing them with co-workers. Use complex phrases, avoid the most commonly used passwords (link here), and anything easily guessed (e.g. family member names, birthdates, etc.).  If you find it difficult to keep all your passwords straight, then invest in a password manager app for a few dollars a month.

 

Doing-It-Yourself vs. Investing in Good IT Support

• Most modern businesses would grind to a halt without working computers, software, internet, and access to your data files. As a busy business owner, you can’t afford to DIY troubleshoot the inevitable computer crash or network disruption. This is where it pays to have a trusted, experienced IT support technician on call who can get you back up and running in no time.
• It’s not easy to find a good and reliable technician. Look for updated training, certifications and references to contact when sourcing your support. You’ll want someone who has experience with the technology tools you use, and who is bonded and insured, and willing to sign confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements to protect your privacy.

 

Refresh Your Technology

• Don’t turn your technology into a dust museum. It’s time to look at a refresh every 3-5 years for servers and PC’s.
• This refresh cycle is a general guideline. Your business needs may require you to refresh earlier or later depending on how often your technology is used.

 

Your Hardware and Software Must Complement Each Other

• You just downloaded the latest upgrade but forgot to check whether your hardware can support the new extra processing load/speed of the new software.
• Best to check in advance with a professional (not the software vendor) that your server is up to date and capable of supporting your new upgrade.
• Tip – always go a factor of 1-2 times over and above the minimum requirements when matching equipment to software. You will have just extended the usability of the equipment to account for upgrades.

 

Your Equipment Needs Attention

• Once everything is installed and running, your days of maintenance have just begun.
• Schedule regular checks by your trusted IT support, at specific intervals. Servers and the software on them require more care than checking the cabling or PC hardware. Server backup systems on the other hand, require more maintenance than other systems to ensure smooth-running.

 

All Hardware is Not Created Equal

• That router that you can buy for home and the one needed for business really are different. Cutting corners by purchasing cheap equipment will affect your system downtime, disrupt your data communication and security, will breakdown more often and fail completely earlier. Data corruption will result from using consumer grade hardware.
• Simply put, always purchase business class hardware for all mission critical applications.

 

Using Borrowed or Copied Software

• While the temptation to use pirated software is great, the consequences are quite pronounced. Any update you install (and you will need updates) will alert the software company to a copied license in use. This may in turn shut your application access down as well as put you in a position to be fined up to 100k.
• It is frustrating as an entrepreneur or small business owner to pay what seems like high license fees, and while you may be able to get away with it for older software, todays software is very smart, and detection is not an if but a when.

 

Don’t Forget to Train Your Staff

• Less a technology issue than a human one, having well intentioned staff on board and not able to use the applications will cost you on the ROI.
• Depending on your small business, you may want to ensure all staff attend a training session(s) or instead, send one to be the designate trainer to the rest of the team.

 

While there are many more we can add to this list, the above are the main items we’ve dealt with over the years.

 

If you’ve got more to add or have any feedback to offer, please comment below or email our team at info@XXX.com