The Boise, Idaho business structure and the global economy faced extraordinary challenges last year. Many aspects of daily life and work have shifted to the digital world, exposing specific underlying business technology concerns impeding productivity, collaboration, and information security.
Today's businesses are increasingly reliant on IT services, including cybersecurity. But, unfortunately, many small companies do not devote enough attention to IT issues that may be compromising their business processes and data security.
Is Your Business at Risk Because of Common IT Issues?
We're sorry to tell you this, but you may not have as much control over your network and servers as you believe. Even if you have the best IT team and the most secure databases in the world, your business is still vulnerable to cyber threats.
It is critical to devote time to learning and comprehending your office technology, including data security. The more you know about typical IT issues, the more prepared you'll be to avoid them!
Also, remember that some of these frequent IT issues are not the same for businesses as they are for personal or residential computers.
Taking a few simple steps can help solve a range of problems while reducing risks, downtime, and troubleshooting. Most technical issues have simple solutions, and complicated IT challenges can be reduced with effective IT strategies.
Therefore, any business owner who wishes to optimize their IT processes and enhance their information security must first address the most prevalent workplace technology issues.
6 Common IT Issues for Small Businesses
Following are some of the most common IT issues that small business owners face:
1. The Lack of a Data Backup Strategy
2. Insufficient Professional or Qualified Experience
3. Unreliable Network Security
4. Issues with Hardware and Software
5. Inadequate Online Safety Judgment
6. A large Number of Employees Have Access to Your Data
Although you won't need to be as advanced as homeland security, you should consider implementing some of these strategies to improve your overall cyber security. Below we explain each IT issue and a simple solution to help protect your business from unwanted cyber criminals.
The Lack of Data Backup Strategy
Data loss can happen to any business due to ransomware attacks, cyber threats, system failures, human error, or natural mishaps. Therefore, it's critical to have a solid data backup strategy as the last line of protection for important information stored on any computer.
Data backup, like network security, is something your business must have to avoid paying recovery fees and losing critical data. Because the cloud's remote servers and data centers are located thousands of miles away from your organization, backing up your data in the cloud provides the highest level of protection.
Every business should regularly perform recovery tests from their data backup to ensure that it is operating smoothly and the critical infrastructure remains in place.
Insufficient Professional or Qualified Experience
Do you know what Managed IT Services are? You don't have to get rid of your IT department just because you outsource your managed IT services. Instead, it could simply mean that those employees can concentrate on more minor technical concerns that aren't too hard or overwhelming for them to handle daily.
Email and data storage, web hosting, server, network maintenance, and much more can all be supported and monitored by a competent and experienced managed IT services business with expertise in cyber security. This is the best way to stop cybercriminals from accessing your information and client files.
Your most complex IT issues are tracked and resolved by a managed IT services professional. They provide your in-house team with more time to work on new projects and meet compliance by freeing them up. They also come up with new approaches to improve your organizations' operations and prevent cyber threats.
Unreliable Network Security
Network security is not just the domain of giant corporations, as many small business owners believe. Every small firm is vulnerable to cyber attacks that might result in data loss.
According to Cyber Security Statistics, small organizations are the target of 43 percent of cyber attacks due to a lack of comprehensive network security procedures. Even the national security agency and the federal government continuously take further actions to prevent cybercriminals from stealing critical information.
Your firm could be targeted in one of the following ways if your network security is inadequate:
Attacks through phishing
Ransomware
E-commerce hacking
You must be proactive in implementing an effective network security policy that protects your company from these threats as a business owner.
For example, you should enable your company's firewall, train your personnel on security concepts, back up your data, and keep track of your passwords.
Issues with Hardware and Software
Are you fed up with seeing system failures and error messages? There's no secret that when it comes to software and IT management, it's not a question of "if" but "when."
Unfortunately, a simple reboot of your smartphone or laptop will not fix anything if it has been hacked. You're looking at a considerable loss if you don't have the necessary resources on hand to replace and repair the program.
In addition, improving old devices and software causes more downtime, reduced efficiency, missed opportunities, and customer annoyance. The following are some suggestions for resolving hardware and software issues:
Remove any equipment that has outlived its usefulness
All software programs should be standardized
Work directly with IT professionals who have expertise in cyber security
All hardware components should be maintained and updated regularly
IT is evolving fast, resulting in new solutions that drive innovation, accelerate growth, and reduce expenses. On the other hand, small firms are hesitant to adopt new technology due to a lack of knowledge and apprehension of the unknown.
By incorporating new technologies into your organization, you will compete more effectively in the market. It would be best if you collaborated with an IT specialist who is familiar with the nuances of the IT ecosystem. Be cautious when choosing an IT service provider to avoid exposing your information security to someone you can't trust.
Inadequate Online Safety Judgment
When it comes to securing your company and avoiding the typical IT problem of an unsecured network, employing good judgment when utilizing the internet is vital.
Have you ever seen anything like this:
"CONGRATULATIONS! You are the 1,000,000 visitors to our website! Click here to receive your $1,000,000 prize!"
We're sorry to tell you this, but you didn't win. This type of advertisement is rife with malware and other spyware, putting your computer and business at risk. It's one of the many ways cybercriminals prey on their victims who lack cyber security expertise.
Learning how to evaluate a website's relative safety will assist you in avoiding those that may harm your computer. The number of internet scams that occur every day is alarming, but it's also something you can avoid by being cautious about the sites you visit and the information you give out.
A Large Number of Employees Have Access to Your Data
Although all employees at your firm must have the tools required to execute their jobs, giving them access to information and passwords they don't need is unnecessary and can harm your security defense.
It might make sense to give access to your company's data systems to every employee. However, this is not the most effective method to prevent network security problems and stop cybercriminals from accessing your information.
Employees should only have access to the data systems they require for their specific job responsibilities. They should not be allowed to install software without your or the IT controller's authorization.
Hiring the Right People
When it comes to protecting your business from cybercriminals, you'll want to ensure you have employees on your team with extensive experience in cyber security. One way to do that is to hire an outside IT services company to handle all your computer security needs, or you can look for people who have attended Boise State or Idaho State University with a degree in information technology services.
In fact, Boise State University has an Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity specializing in preventing cybercriminals from accessing protected information. If you wanted to focus on hiring students straight out of school with a bachelor's degree in computer science, you could always contact the information technology department.
However, suppose you want somebody with extensive experience in cyber security, critical infrastructure, and micron technology. In that case, we suggest contacting a business that specializes in this area and offers support to your existing IT department.
Here at VRI Technology, we focus on solutions that enhance cyber security and protect your information systems. We bring awareness and resources to your business to help educate your staff on how important cyber security is and what the next step should be to protect your clients' details.
We'll support your management team and provide information assurance knowledge to ensure your company is protected at all times.
Conclusion
Managed IT services save your staff time and money while also providing remote monitoring for a secure network, bringing in subject matter experts, and allowing you to access more customizable services.
You can plan early and safeguard your IT infrastructure from dangers and complications by recognizing the most prevalent technology challenges. If you're looking for reliable managed solutions, you've come to the right place.
VRI Technology is a Boise based IT Company and one of the top industry leaders. Our professionals are available to assist you or your workers at any time. Our main goal is to develop a solid strategy that simplifies any IT infrastructure while also stopping hackers.
As a result, you won't have to be worried about malware, viruses, unauthorized access, lack of cyber security, or other malicious entities destroying everything you've worked so hard to achieve.