Your software is an important, even crucial, part of your business’ security considerations. After all, a software title with security issues could be the access point that hackers and scammers need. This is precisely why software updates and security patches are so important to keep up on. Let’s consider this in a little more detail.
The late American author Kurt Vonnegut once wrote, “New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become.” Written in the 20th century, it has been put in practice by 21st century businesses. As the Internet has grown, the amount of companies expanded, and the amount of data that those companies collect has grown exponentially, especially now that there is a market for such data.
As a general rule, necessity dictates when a business upgrades the technology, they use each day. Sometimes it is because the tech they have been using can no longer support their needs, and sometimes, the solutions that are utilized simply aren’t efficient enough to keep up with operations any longer. New technologies may be adopted as a means to increase productivity, while others may actually be required by government-mandated regulations.
As a managed service provider, we realize that it may not be totally clear what it is that we do, exactly. To resolve this, we wanted to devote a blog to review what we provide to businesses like yours, and how our services can benefit you.
While most businesses need the same basic technology to support their operations, some industries have additional, more specific needs that require a more specialized tool to accomplish. As we leave this series behind, let’s briefly consider how a managed service provider can be a valuable resource for a business operating in one of these industries.
Modern businesses can now make use of increasingly powerful technology solutions… as long as they have a means of obtaining and incorporating these solutions into their operations. The services that a managed service provider can deliver include procurement assistance. To wrap up our series on the value that managed services can provide, let’s discuss this aspect.
Your business’ data is a key component to its success, and with a managed service provider on your side, it becomes even more beneficial for you to put to use. As we carry on with our series describing the value of a relationship with a managed service provider, we’ll look at a few ways that your business can benefit from the data services that this relationship can provide.
Technology isn’t always a simple thing for small businesses, and in a world where every implementation either hampers or benefits your bottom line, there is a lot at stake. Implementing a better way of managing your IT will come with a considerable improvement to your organization’s operations. With the right method of management, you can optimize efficiency and productivity, but not before asking yourself these questions.
Business owners have a lot on their plate. Even the smallest businesses have a lot of moving parts that need to be attended to, which all add up to a mammoth amount of stress for their owners. Perhaps most obviously, financial matters contribute greatly to this angst.
Every business has a considerable amount of money flowing in and out at any given time, which means that the owner has a considerable amount to keep track of. Simultaneously, there is the need to make sure that any money that is owed to the business is coming in, while the money that the business owes to its employees and uses to pay its bills must be tracked as well. After all, it would be hard to run a business without electricity, which is exactly the situation a business would find itself in if the power bill wasn’t paid.
In addition to financial concerns, there’s managing the human side of the business itself. Business owners have to balance so they can be both a resource and a disciplinarian for their staff members. In order for a business’ staff to be effective and productive, it helps if they are satisfied with the circumstances of their employment. Good employees will seek professional growth, growth that a business owner will want to do everything to encourage for the benefit of the company. Problematic and lax employees need to be addressed by management, ensuring that they aren’t slacking and wasting valuable company time. Oftentimes, if these employees create a human resources issue, it travels up the chain to the owner.
A business’ clients are also an important consideration. After all, the purpose of the business is to provide a good or service to these clients, so it is essential that these clients are treated well and professionally. A business owner needs to make sure that all processes are being followed as their team interacts with their clients, delivering what has been promised and following up promptly.
This is all without mentioning the technology that supports a business, and all the processes that need to be completed to keep this technology up and running. Any software patches need to be applied, all security solutions need to be kept updated, and the company backup needs to be tested.
Finally, there’s all the responsibilities that a business owner has that don’t actually pertain to the business. Family matters and personal concerns also come into play in anyone’s life--and of course, all these concerns aren’t organized so nicely in real life. It is almost as if these concerns were all thrown into a blender and pulsed, making business and personal life that much more difficult to manage.
BEI can help a little by taking over some of these responsibilities. By managing your information technology, our services allow you the confidence that your IT will be ready for your business to use--and that you have a trusted resource to lean on if things go wrong. Give us a call at (844) BIZ-EDGE for more information.
Antivirus is one of the simplest means of protecting a computer network, but that doesn't necessarily mean that a business should overlook the benefits of having an antivirus. If a business doesn’t have antivirus on its systems, it’s usually because they really don’t believe they are in any danger. The harsh reality emerges after a data breach. Regardless of its size, any business holds the kind of data that would draw in thieves and rogues. From Social Security numbers to credit card numbers to many other kinds of personally identifiable information, businesses possess plenty of data that can bring in a pretty penny on the black market.
As a result, any business is at risk of attack, as any business needs to have this information stored away.
Taking this into consideration, you need to have the means in place to help protect your business from the threats and risks that are out there. One way of mitigating many of the threats your organization may commonly encounter is a reliable antivirus solution. While it is admittedly more reactive than many other security measures, it still is a crucial facet of a comprehensive defense. This is because the danger to your company grows the longer a threat is present on your network. However, antivirus software can attend to the following cyberthreats, as well as others not mentioned here.
However, there are plenty more threats that are much more advanced and are therefore more difficult to remove from your network. For example, most ransomwares are remarkably difficult to remove. To help protect against all threats, you need to supplement the reactive measures like antivirus with proactive solutions, including content filters, firewalls, and spam blockers.
To find out more or to get started with a comprehensive solution, call BEI at (844) BIZ-EDGE.
There is certainty in that the small business can benefit from new technology. A problem sometimes rears its head when a business wants to improve their technology all at once and the costs associated with both implementation and downtime start to spike. For the responsible business owner, it has to be a matter of putting need over want, and instituting solutions that will work to build profitability, which will ultimately provide the capital needed to institute new technology. Today, we will look at some technology implementations that many small businesses consider, and how the implementation will bring the best return on investment.
Managed IT service is a great way for the small business to save money on their IT support costs while still getting the coverage they need. One of the ways that an MSP is able to keep their costs down is by proactive maintenance. If an MSP had to fix every computer problem a company had after it became a problem, the service would largely be untenable for the small business. Today, we look at the proactive maintenance feature of our IT management strategy and how our clients save a lot of money as a result.