Technology can provide a strategic advantage for companies in every industry when properly utilized. One of the biggest issues for small business owners is overcoming common tech obstacles. These challenges often hinder productivity. These issues can range from minor inconveniences to serious threats that can permanently shut down a business.
In today’s blog, we’ve outlined 6 of the most common technology problems small business owners face regularly. We explain how you can either avoid or resolve these issues.
1. Failing To Meet Industry-Specific Compliance Requirements
Many industries have specific regulatory compliance requirements that define how companies must organize and protect data. You might be familiar with common examples like HIPAA. It regulates electronic medical data in the health care industry. FFIEC, GLB, and SEC are relevant in the financial services industry. CMMC applies to companies that work directly or indirectly with the Department of Defense.
For a small business owner wearing many hats, it can be difficult to keep up with the latest compliance requirements. This is especially true if you don’t have an IT or cyber security employee on staff. Missing a requirement can lead to hefty fines. It can also cause legal issues. Additionally, it can incidentally leave you vulnerable to a cyber-attack.
The best approach is to work with a managed services provider (MSP). The MSP should have experience in compliance for your specific industry. Compliance is not exactly the same as cyber security. However, the two overlap. An experienced provider will be able to help you bridge the gap. This ensures you’re protected and meeting any mandatory requirements.
Click here to get a FREE Network Assessment. This will help you determine if you’re currently missing any mandatory compliance requirements for your organization.
2. Lack Of Strategic IT Planning
One of the biggest issues we see is a disjointed relationship. It exists between the business leaders in the organization and the IT team. In this digital age, technology is an integral part of how a business operates. Business leaders tend to see the larger picture. When they loop in IT professionals, they can make informed decisions. This collaboration helps decide what technology to deploy. It makes long-term growth and scalability easier and more efficient.
Several areas in which your IT team should act as a strategic advisor are:
3. Inadequate Cyber Security Protection
Cyber security risks become more advanced every year. Decisions about cyber security should not be solely left to the IT department. These are business decisions that require the leadership team’s buy-in. Failing to have a robust cyber security system can harm a business. Becoming the victim of a cyber-attack can also be detrimental. There are trade secrets, confidential communications, customer data, and employee records stored on your company’s devices. You can’t afford to have them fall into the wrong hands.
Work with your IT team to deploy a three-pronged approach that includes:
Prevention Strategies: Do you have the right software and solutions in place, such as antivirus, firewalls, MFA, etc., to protect your organization from an attack? Are you regularly training employees on the latest threats and how to identify them?
Detection Mechanisms: This is a key piece that most small businesses neglect, which leaves them vulnerable. Do you have a process in place for detecting a breach? Or would it go unnoticed until it’s a bigger problem? You should be conducting regular scans and monitoring, as well as employing endpoint detection and response tools.
Response And Recovery Action Steps: Do you have a plan in place if something goes wrong? Would your employees know what to do? You need an IT team supporting you. They should identify any issues quickly. They should also mitigate them before the damage can’t be undone. Leaders in the organization should take this seriously.
4. Poor User Support
If your employees are struggling with their technology all day, productivity will decrease. Using slow, outdated devices and software can be frustrating for employees, leaving them feeling less motivated and hindering their output. It’s even worse when you have unreliable technical support following the “get to it when we get to it” approach.
With the right IT team, you can trust that help is always available. This team might be in-house staff, outsourced support, or a combination of both. An experienced technician with the tools and knowledge will quickly assist employees and solve problems.
5. Poor User Asset Management
Managing access to various levels of data for each employee can be tedious and overwhelming in larger organizations. IT professionals can manage and monitor user access. They ensure no one has access to data they don’t need. Security policies are enforced, and accounts are constantly monitored for anomalies.
They can assign new users and make changes to existing accounts. They can also delete accounts and add remote users. Additionally, they set permissions on how employees can access the network and more. This is particularly important when it comes to offboarding employees. It can be risky to remove data access from someone with access to sensitive information. This is the case whether the employee is leaving on good terms or not. This process needs to be handled with care.
6. Lack Of Training
As mentioned, making sure your employees know how to use technology efficiently is paramount to productivity. It’s also important for security reasons. All employees should regularly go through cyber security training to ensure they understand and are following best practices.
This is typically not the role of the business leaders in the company. Most often, they need refresher courses too. When you work with a reliable IT team, they’ll be able to regularly inform team members of new threats. They can explain what to look out for. They will run phishing simulations to test employees on whether they know what to do. They can do more. One training session is NOT enough! To build a cyber security–focused culture, you need to be talking about it often.
Is it time to solve your IT problems once and for all?
We have your back. To get started, book a FREE, no-obligation Network Assessment. We’ll review your systems using our 10-Point Optimization Checklist. We aim to let you know how and where your organization can better utilize technology to grow.
Our 10-Point Optimization Checklist for your Network Assessment will consist of the follow:
To Schedule Your FREE Assessment, Please Visit dtinetworks.com/discovery-call Or Call Our Office At 252-329-1382.
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