How to Avoid the Most Common IT Mistakes in Business

Backup Strategies, IT Mistakes, Printers, Tech Support, Technology Disposal, Training, , , , ,
17
Jul 2018

IT can be a complex area to tackle at the best of times, but there are certain mistakes which can be easily avoided through vigilance and understanding.

Maintaining, securing and purchasing technology for your organization requires a lot of knowledge due to the range of procedures and procedures involved. Thankfully, this knowledge is usually in place, but you would be surprised just how many silly mistakes still manage to slip through the net. And these mistakes, although seemingly minor, can sometimes have severe consequences.

To help you avoid these pitfalls, we’ve put together a guide on how to avoid the most common IT mistakes in business.

Printers are Important

Despite on-going calls for ‘paperless’ offices, the reality is that organizations still need to print. And where there’s a need to print, there’s a need for printers. However, far too many organizations fail to understand that researching a good printer is crucial. A cheap printer, for example, may seem the best way forward for a small business, but the amount of toner it wastes and the maintenance involved could soon end up costing more than you had bargained for. Therefore, thoroughly researching what the available printers can do and how well they can do it is vital.

Poor Training for Employees

Your employees need to know how to use the technology they’re working with, so regular training is key to avoiding technical mishaps and maximizing productivity. An employee who knows how to get the best out of the technology they’re working with is relatively rare in most organizations, so stay ahead of the competition by proving in-depth training and refresher manuals.

Not Sticking to Backup Strategies

A good organization is one that has a fantastic backup strategy, but a fantastic organization is one which sticks to its backup strategy. Sure, it may feel time consuming to back up your data to multiple sources and the costs involved can soon be felt by your bank balance. Nonetheless, the relief at being able to restore your data and keep your organization running is surely more preferable to your business grinding to a halt, right? And that’s why sticking to your backup strategy and ensuring that all the processes are regularly followed to the letter is important.

Not Disposing of Technology Correctly

Obsolete technology can soon become a burden on the available real estate within your organization. Disposing of said technology, then, is paramount to a functioning workspace. It’s not just as simple as chucking those old servers out with the trash though. Not only are there potentially dangerous components and chemicals contained within, there are also significant chunks of potentially sensitive data. Thorough cleaning and wiping of all data is highly recommended before you hand the technology over to a specialist firm to destroy securely and safely.

Lack of Tech Support

In a digital age where technology is advancing at a rapid pace, it makes sense to have tech support available at all times. Many organizations feel as though they can handle most IT problems without dedicated staff, but this is a dangerous step to take. It may feel cost effective to rely on a limited amount of knowledge and resources, but there are daily issues for even the smallest businesses which require an IT professional. With a reputable tech support team in place, you can ensure that all issues are dealt with quickly and correctly.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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5 Best IT Practices for Small Businesses

Backup, IT Best Practices, Power Protections, Security, Technical Support, Updates, , , , , ,
09
Jul 2018

It’s important for small businesses to make the most of their IT capabilities, so understanding what the best IT practices are is paramount.

If you can implement the right IT practices in your organization then you’re clearly a smart thinker as it can only lead to increased productivity. However, for a small business this isn’t always the easiest strategy to formulate. The cost of investment can often restrict your use of brand new technology, so you need to be a little bit smarter. And the good news is that costs can be kept to a minimum.

To help you get started on getting the best out of your IT, I’ve put together a list of five best IT practices for small businesses.

  1. Backing up the Right Data

Backing up data can be an expensive process. Not only is physical storage costly, but cloud storage can soon start totting the dollars up. However, this is all dependent on the amount of data you want to back up. Therefore, if you can reduce the amount of storage you need to backup, you can reduce your storage costs. The best way to achieve this objective is by thoroughly researching how your data is used and determining exactly what you need to backup.

  1. Staff Security Knowledge

Cyber security should be a major concern for all businesses, but for a small business it’s crucial. With a wide range of new cyber-attacks such as ransomware and phishing emerging every day, the risk of your business operations being disrupted is high. Whilst firewalls and carefully secured, partitioned servers can make a huge difference, it’s even more useful for your employees to understand good security practices. All it takes is one malicious email to be clicked on to bring your organization to a halt, so ensure that regular refresher courses on security threats are conducted for your employees.

  1. Install all Updates

Keeping on the security theme, it’s essential that all updates for your software and hardware are installed as soon as possible. Once your IT equipment becomes even slightly out of date then it’s at risk of becoming vulnerable to hackers. However, if all the latest updates and firmware upgrades are installed, then you’re improving the defenses of your data no end.

  1. Good Power Protection

Your PC technology is important, so you need to ensure that it’s protected from the damaging effects of power outages and surges. Not only can these events reduce the lifespan of your technology, but they’re also capable of wiping data if they happen in the middle of a backup. To counter this risk, it’s vital that backup hardware comes with adequate battery support to keep backups running. Likewise, ensuring that your servers have reserve power supplies which are uninterruptible can help keep your data accessible and safe at all times.

  1. Provide Good Technical Support

Your business needs professional IT support, there simply isn’t any other option if you’re working with PCs. And when I say professional, I mean professionally trained and not a hobbyist who likes to tinker with their PC every now and then. Knowledge, after all, equals authority and when you’re working with complicated technology, you need as much authority as possible. Maybe this will be outsourced or maybe you’ll build an in-house team, either way it should be a priority for your organization.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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The Best Ways to Use the Internet of Things in Business

Internet of things, IOT, Productivity, , ,
26
Jun 2018

The Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized the way we do business thanks to the accessibility on offer, but are you getting the best out of it?

More and more organizations are using IoT devices to help improve their business operations and it’s estimated that around 31 billion IoT devices will be in use by 2020. The aim of these IoT devices, in business, is to maximize productivity and help organizations deliver fantastic customer experiences. Understanding how they can achieve these objectives, however, isn’t as simple as just plugging the devices in and letting them get to work.

To help you appreciate which areas of your business they can improve, we’ve put together a list of the best ways to use the IoT in business.

Analytics

Due to the vast range of IoT devices now available, it’s possible for businesses to measure and analyze almost anything you can imagine. Say, for example, you want to understand the usage of forklift trucks in your warehouse. Sure, you could ask people in the warehouse for anecdotal evidence, but this would only be a rough estimate. If, however, you have an IoT sensor which measures movement, you can calculate some seriously precise data. And, with this data, you can then analyze it more closely and determine much more effective solutions for improving your forklift usage.

Understand Your Customers

Many IoT devices allow you to monitor the behavior of your customers and this gives you a significant edge in understanding their preferences. By collecting based on your customers’ usage of your products, you can begin to build a list of insights which detail their exact needs of your customers. This gives you the opportunity to enhance your products and make them much more beneficial to your customers in future. Accordingly, customers are more likely to stay loyal due to the enhanced experience.

Asset Management

Tracking and maintaining assets has always been a difficult task for businesses, but the IoT has opened up new opportunities that promise to make it easier than ever before. Temperature monitoring devices, for example, can be installed into refrigerators and data then transmitted to an online portal. This can provide immediate and instant reference data all in one place so, if you work in a store with numerous refrigerators, you can immediate see how they are performing without having to go and check each individual unit.

Enhance Your Supply Chain

A good supply chain is crucial for good business and the IoT can deliver some amazing benefits for your supply chain. The IoT allows constant updates to be logged regarding your supply chain and this ensures excellent visibility for stock and products. Delays on parts and other stock issues can be identified exceptionally quickly and this means that these problems can be solved and improved just as quickly. With a more efficient supply chain in place, you’ll also be able to deliver a much better customer experience.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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How to Choose the Right Cloud Storage Provider

Cloud, Cloud Backup, Data Volume, Security, Speed, Uptime, , , , ,
19
Jun 2018

Storing files in the cloud is becoming increasingly popular for businesses, but how do you choose the right cloud storage provider when there are so many?

There are a wide range of factors to consider when choosing a cloud storage provider, so it’s no surprise that settling on one is difficult. All providers will offer different options and plans, but the good news is that there are set basics which will apply to your business. The first step is making sure you can find a provider who can satisfy your basic needs..

To help you get started, we’re going to look at what these foundations of cloud storage are and how they apply to your organization.

Data Volume

The amount of data that your organization processes is important when it comes to choosing a cloud storage provider. After all, different providers are going to have different capabilities when it comes to storing data. The basic plan available through Dropbox, for example, is 2GB and while that may be fine for an individual running their own business, an organization with 250 employees is going to need a little more. Obviously, numerous pricing plans are available for different providers depending on your storage needs, so it makes sense to calculate your storage needs (and future needs) and compare prices.

Uptime

Cloud servers are not infallible and they can fail just as easily as your own servers can. However, certain service providers’ networks fail more than others. And this can present a serious problem for your operations if your data is unavailable when you need it most. Therefore, you should always ask cloud storage providers to demonstrate their contingency plans in the case of server failure and, more importantly, statistics which show the reliability of their servers in terms of uptime.

Speed

Download speeds are one of the most essential elements of cloud storage for you to consider. The speed at which you can download your data can have a significant impact on your ability to do business. Say, for example, you’ve suffered a data disaster and need your data restored as soon as possible, if your cloud storage provider has a cap on their download speed then it’s going to take longer to get back up and running. That’s why you need to make sure you understand the download speeds that are available from your cloud storage provider.

Security

If your data becomes compromised then cloud storage provides a useful backup. However, there’s no guarantee that your cloud storage provider is safe from security breaches. And, if they are compromised, then the safety net of their backup is suddenly removed. This leaves you in a precarious situation whereby the safety of your data is significantly reduced. Therefore, understanding your cloud storage provider’s security measures are paramount. The main factors to consider are the provider’s physical security of their servers and the level of encryption they apply to stored data.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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5 Best Ways to Secure Your Backups

Backup, Backup and Recovery, Encryption, Password Security, Security, , ,
14
Jun 2018

Data backups are crucial when it comes to protecting your data; it’s even more important to ensure that your backups are kept secure and available.

For many people, having data backed up is enough. However, what they fail to understand is that a backup is not infallible. In fact, there are a whole range of issues that could affect the stability of a backup. And, if your organization is in the midst of a data disaster, the one factor above all else that you should be concentrating on is security. Your backup, after all, is your lifeline to resuming productivity, so it should be as secure as possible.

To get you started, we’re going to look at the five best ways to secure your backups:

  1. Password Protect Your Backups

At the very least, you have to make sure that your backups are password protected. While, yes, it’s possible for a password to be cracked, it still acts as a deterrent and guarantees some level of security. The stronger the password, of course, the more protection you provide to your backup, so make sure that it’s unique and contains a mixture of uppercase, lowercase characters and numbers.

  1. Restrict Backup Access Rights

The more people that have access to your backups, the more risk there is that they could be compromised or damaged. Therefore, you should only ever assign access rights to the backup software to those members of staff who genuinely need it. Nominating those with access in advance will help to not only protect your backups, but also ensure that restores are completed quickly if the need arises.

  1. Integrate Encryption

There’s every chance that your entire backup could be snatched in the case of a data disaster, so it’s vital that it’s protected. After all, your backup is likely to contain data pertaining to your customers/staff and this could be highly sensitive. However, by encrypting the data contained within your backup, you’re rendering it next to useless in the hands of external parties.  Along with password protection, it’s a simple yet highly effective layer of defense.

  1. Store Physical Backups in a Safe

Although we live in an age where cloud backups are grabbing all the headlines, it’s still important that physical backups are also maintained. These can include: DVDs, optical disks and data tapes. Naturally, due to the data contained on them, these storage methods represent a high security risk and can’t just be stored on a shelf. The best solution is to invest in a safe, but make sure it’s fireproof as high levels of heat can easily distort and damage physical storage devices.

  1. Log all Backups

Most backup software will log details of the backups carried out, but when it comes to working with physical backups it’s a little different. As your physical backups will be stored somewhere, there needs to be a logging process of what is going where. It’s very easy for a single DVD to go missing, but, with a logging system in place, you should discover this sooner rather than later.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

 

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