Introduction
Technology has shifted the way businesses operate by introducing new tools that have increased production and improved efficiency. In the last decade, technology has changed constantly, and businesses must conform to this new way of functioning or else they will be left behind. Things like information technology must be accounted for because without a solid infrastructure and the proper protective solutions in place, your network will be vulnerable to cyberattacks and malicious attacks. When considering a good IT solution, you need to think about a number of things such as cybersecurity, the latest emerging technology, and a cloud solution.
1. Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity refers to a company’s protection against unauthorized or criminal use of electronic data, and cybersecurity services are the overarching processes put in place to achieve this security to protect against common cyber threats.
The below is a list of the most common types of threats when cybersecurity is in discussion:
- Malware — or malicious software — is a program installed into a system to compromise its data’s availability, integrity, or confidentiality. Malware is the biggest external threat facing business networks today, however, it can be difficult to catch it because it can be very discreet.
- Ransomware uses malware to limit access to your own system through encryption and then asks you to pay a “ransom” online to decrypt the system and regain your access.
- Phishing is a commonly used method by cybercriminals to obtain data by pretending to be a legitimate business representative. They’ll often issue a warning related to your account and ask you for a response with a link to a fake website asking you to provide passwords or other sensitive information.
- Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks limit access to a network by overwhelming it with traffic requests to slow website response time. This is often used as a distraction while criminals commit other types of cybercrime.
Although the above are the most common types of cybersecurity breaches, it is important to note that as technology is rapidly changing, companies and IT solutions continuously keep improving their services as do cybercriminals. Essentially, this means that they are constantly thinking of new ways to hack a network. To stay protected, it is crucial for your IT solutions to stay up to date with the latest tools against cybercrimes.
Another critical concept that companies should consider is regular training for their employees to also be aware of all the types of ransomware, phishing, and cybersecurity breaches and what to do in case they notice they are the victim of one.
The majority of the digital attacks tend to exploit the human factor through very creative and luring phishing attempts and other related efforts. Almost 90% of the data breaches are caused by human errors, hence reinforcing the need for continuous employee education on cybersecurity. Malicious attackers and other highly skilled hackers usually seek to trick users into giving them early access to a digital resource long before they actualize their attempt to hack their way into the system. People can, therefore, be considered as the weakest link in any organization’s cybersecurity defences. Therefore, people are, in most cases, the primary targets of cyber-attackers who use techniques and tools such as spear phishing, social engineering, ransomware and malware. In addition, security awareness topics to cover in your employee training should include:
- Tell employees about different forms of security threats, and the various ways that a threat can present itself such as telling them about spam, malware, social engineering, and phishing among others.
- Explain to your employees that passwords are the first line of protection to protect your sensitive and valuable information from hackers. You should also show the employees how to set a strong password that incorporates a combination of symbols, letters, and numbers.
- Employees are the eyes and ears of an organization on the ground. Every device they use or emails they receive may contain clues about a lurking malware, virus, password hack or phishing scam. First, educate employees on how to spot these unexplained errors and legitimate antivirus warnings. Then educate on how to report the red flags and who to tell about the suspicious intrusions.
- Emailing and browsing habits of an employee can expose the company to attacks. Therefore, it is crucial to include policies and guidelines in your training for using email, the Internet, and social media platforms.
With the correct cyber security training and constant monitoring of your network, you are one step closer to having a preventive measure in place against cybercriminals. If you do not have a cyber security solution but are considering one, get in touch with us for a free consultation.
2. Keep up with emerging technology
Trends in technology are important for any business venture because it can have an impact on how customers reach you. Technology helps keep up with new markets or they can also introduce a new way of working that could give you a potential lead over your direct competitors. Here are some trends to always keep an eye out for:
- Networking capabilities can give your small business the look and feel of a billion-dollar corporation. As trends in technology branch out, the companies that have embraced new technology will have an online advantage over their competition. This type of trend includes hardware and software and may be geared towards online community and networking. Today, almost everything is online, and if your business has not adapted this, it means that you are not thinking ahead.
- Adopting new technologies indicates more efficient communication with customers. Communication between business and customers is crucial for a profitable business transaction. In the past, businesses could only leverage telephones and snail mail to respond to their customers who can’t be physically present at their offices. This process took days before deals were successfully closed.
However, today, customers expect an instant response because of all the tools available such as social media and email. Thanks to the new generation phones, all these are possible while putting an end to the slow-moving and less safe postal mailing. Phone calls are still prevalent, but with smartphones and the recent COVID-19 world pandemic, companies and customers have adopted video calling and made this the new normal. In fact, this offers better engagement as companies can attend to their customers’ needs without the customer having to leave their home/ office.
Having the right applications can enhance your businesses’ productivity and efficiency. A powerful cloud-based application that is user-friendly such as Microsoft Office 365 will really help your business accelerate and stay connected with customers. Microsoft Office apps are the most popular productivity tools today. The suite provides apps for creating different documents on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. They can be saved in different file formats to suit the requirements of your clients. In addition, they now come with other advanced features that help streamline time management and collaboration. Want to know more? Check out Microfost Office 365 through us and get a free consultation.
3. Adopt cloud solutions
It’s surprising how fast technology evolves in just a few years. Before Cloud Computing, people would run applications or programs from programming downloaded on a physical PC or server in their building. In the past, many companies used to struggle to create their own data centers. The rapid development of technology has provided many alternative solutions for many enterprises in running and developing their businesses. Today, more companies are starting to build their business models by relying on Cloud Computing Solutions only. Currently, many people think that Cloud Computing is only used as a backup for the system that is running. Yet, adopting a cloud service into your business has many benefits and it is much safer and easier to monitor against digital threats such as malware, ransomware and more. Although cloud solutions have many benefits, the two that stand out the most is improved flexibility (access from anywhere securely) and overall better functionality. Here are four reasons to consider moving to the cloud, if you have not already:
- More flexible and easily accessible from anywhere. Aside from providing vast storage space, it also offers a multitude of solutions that businesses by help improve not only employee efficiency but also customer satisfaction.Flexible storage space means that your business no longer needs any additional hardware to accommodate large volumes of data. Aside from cutting costs, this also helps increase employees’ productivity as it will be easier to collaborate remotely. All they need to do is access data or resources from the cloud and team up with each other to ensure the success of projects.
Moreover, the cloud also gives employees more freedom to work according to their preferred time as the cloud can be accessed anytime and anywhere – if they have a reliable connection to the internet.
- Easy mobile access. Smartphones have now become like minicomputers because employees are able to set up their emails and the necessary tools on their phones to access work. When a business uses cloud solutions, it allows your business to provide access to employees who work remotely or those who constantly travel, as well as those who work on a freelance basis. Aside from helping increase employee productivity, this also improves employee satisfaction.
- Faster recovery potential in case there is a technical setback with the hardware. Moving to the cloud means easy data backup and recovery. Since your business information and resources are kept in the cloud, you are guaranteed to get access to them even if your laptop, smartphone, or tablet malfunctions. Cloud computing has several solutions intended to protect and recover your data.
- Additionally, the cloud also has disaster recovery solutions, and you won’t have to worry about additional expenses just to avail of them. What’s even better is that these solutions are designed for all types and sizes of businesses. With this special feature, there will be no reason to fear data loss—regardless of whether it was stolen, destroyed, misplaced, or because of equipment failure. Cloud computing ensures that your information can still be accessed; you simply must find a functioning computer or laptop with internet access.
Conclusion
Technology is ever-changing, and for most businesses, it has improved productivity, efficiency and has allowed many businesses to scale and grow at a rapid pace. Although this is widely known and accepted by society, it is shocking to see how many small businesses still do not invest money in their IT solutions. It is crucial for any business, small, medium, or large to keep with technological advancements because it is a determining factor of pushing them to their full business growth potential. All the reasons as to why technology is important to imply that those solutions are critical to the safety of your data and customers. When you have a cyber security solution, the most updated technology tools, and a cloud solution, it means that your business is being proactive and in case of a data breach, there is a possibility of recovering if not all your most important assets. Get in touch with us for a free quotation on what services are mandatory and necessary for your growing business.