(Newswire.net — February 11, 2016) — It’s almost impossible to run a modern business without the use of technology. Even older, traditional industries are starting to rely more on THE email communications, digital data, and improved processing capabilities that technology has to offer. Unfortunately, no tech system is foolproof. We rely on machines that eventually fail, systems that can be improperly installed or maintained, and on people who may or may not know what they’re doing.
As a result, there are some critical points of care and practice that are necessary for businesses to succeed, though not all business owners recognize this. Instead, a number of misconceptions about business technology needs have seeped into the entrepreneurial world, and they’re doing lasting damage to the businesses that have adopted them.
1. Only Big Businesses Need to Worry About Data Breaches. When major headlines of “data breaches” break on national news, they’re usually regarding consumer-centric vulnerabilities in major corporations. However, this has led to a false sense of security among small and mid-sized business owners that their corporations are safe from breaches. In actuality, the majority of all cyber-attacks are aimed at small to mid-sized businesses. You need some level of security if you want to protect your assets.
Furthermore, there’s no such thing as a foolproof system—even encrypted information can be compromised if someone knows the password or otherwise gains the decryption key. It’s not enough to drop some money on a decent system and call it a day—you have to be actively involved in informing your employees and engaging in best practices when it comes to data security.
2. IT Service Is a Luxury Item. The proper use of technology is all about improving efficiency. The problem is, we’ve become so reliant on technology that if it suddenly disappears or malfunctions, our efficiency basically drops to zero. In a modern office, if the internet goes out, only a handful of people are able to continue working. A company could lose tens of thousands of dollars in productivity with just a handful of outages—something a relatively inexpensive IT consultant could fix almost immediately.
IT service isn’t a luxury item. Like with any service, there are a variety of options and budgets available for businesses with unique needs. One thing is certain; you need some type of technology protection if you want to succeed.
3. Flat-Fee IT Is a Good Long-Term Investment. Flat-fee IT service might seem like a good way to hedge your bets—making sure you’re covered in the event of a technological emergency without hiring an in-house team of your own. Common necessary services like telecommunications and internet come in flat-rate monthly subscription format. However, there are some serious downsides to such an investment when it comes to IT.
First, this approach focuses on solving problems as they happen, rather than preventing them from happening at all. A proactive strategy is far better than a permanently reactive one. Second, if nothing goes wrong for the month, you basically paid for nothing! Instead, use the money to invest in employee training and proactive measures to maximize your technology efficiency.
4. Technology Shouldn’t Be Upgraded Until Absolutely Necessary. If you’re trying to save money, this may seem like a good way to do it. Let’s say a new laptop costs $800, and your old one from 2010 is still functioning decently. Postponing the purchase of a new laptop until the old one breaks could spare you that $800—at least temporarily.
However, there are a number of downsides to relying on old technology. First, your efficiency will suffer. If it takes your old computer 20 percent longer to do any one task, you’ll instantly lose 20 percent of your employee’s efficiency—and even for a $30,000 salaried worker, that’s $6,000 a year, far more than the relatively arbitrary cost of a new laptop. Second, older technology tends to be more vulnerable to security breaches. Upgrade your technology whenever you can—it’s well worth the cost.
5. Backup and Recovery Isn’t a Priority. This is an especially common misconception among small and new businesses. Because backing up data can be a complex system to implement when you’re already juggling dozens of daily responsibilities and client needs, it often gets pushed to the bottom of the priorities list. Business data hasn’t yet been compromised, so it seems like the system is virtually infallible.
The flaw in this thinking, as you may have already guessed, is that you never know when you’re going to need backup. There could be a critical failure in your machine, wiping your local hard drive entirely. There could be a fire or theft in your office, damaging or corrupting your information company-wide. Think of your data backup plan as car insurance; you hope you won’t need it anytime soon, but because you never know when an accident might happen, you should have it—just in case.
Don’t allow these misconceptions to permeate your business. You don’t need to be a technical expert, nor do you need to be a super genius, in order to reap the benefits of a solid IT strategy. Instead, you just need to compare apples to apples, evaluate your decisions logically, and remember that your technology expenses are an investment in security and efficiency—and necessary expenses to keep your business running.