Small business owners have so much to think about and most will use technology on a daily basis. We have put together some top tech tips to think about.
Going Mobile
Agility is one of the key differentiators of a small business. Be more flexible than larger competitors by taking full advantage of cloud computing. Use Microsoft 365 (MS365) as an all-in-one solution for communication, collaboration, and more. When you are cloud-based, you and your employees can operate from any location with ease.
Security
Even as a small business you will also want to focus on security. Do not think that you are safe because of your small size. Every business is a target. An automated bot is not going to differentiate between a company with six employees and those with 60 or 600. It is simply going to find that vulnerability and attack. Do not risk losing time and money to a data breach or ransomware. Instead:
Secure your email.
Put a disaster recovery plan in place.
Backup data in more than one place.
Educate employees about the importance of unique passwords.
Prohibit third-party apps on work devices.
Set devices to notify remote workers when they may be connecting to unsafe networks.
Investment
Make sure you are leaving room in your budget to invest in your IT. This is one area where you do not want to be cutting corners. As a small business it may be difficult to accommodate an IT budget but in reality by avoiding this you could be facing much larger costs in the long term. Unreliable internet service could cause downtime that hurts productivity and loses you clients. Skimping on software or hardware upgrades could lead you vulnerable to safety issues.
Information and communications technology audit
Take stock of your current technology and how it is performing. This check-up can help you identify opportunities to streamline processes. You might consider adding a customer relationship management tool. This will centralise your customer information and help you personalise pitches. An enterprise resource planning system could improve accounting, human resources, and operations workflows.
Consider an MSP
Now is also a suitable time to hire a managed service provider. Partnering with an IT professional helps you make good technology decisions. You may have a lot of people with opinions, but you want to get input from industry experts who understand technology, security, and optimising IT resources.
At Bury St Edmunds IT we are here to help support your business.
Contact us at www.norfolkcs.co.uk or 01953 857980 for a free audit and friendly discussion on how we can help.