Man in a business suit using the cloud for storage, data, shopping, etc.

Secure Your Business in 2021

Man in a business suit using the cloud for storage, data, shopping, etc.

The beauty of a new year is that it’s a fresh start, so make a resolution to get your business IT more secure. This could be something as simple as embracing two-factor authentication instead of relying on password-only authentication.

Password Updates

At the very least encourage your employees to change their passwords regularly. Nearly everyone these days has dozens of online accounts but only two or three unique passwords. So, it’s a good idea to require your people to update their passwords regularly. That way, if a site such as LinkedIn suffers a data breach, you aren’t vulnerable because of an employee’s duplicated password

Windows 7 – End Of Life

Also, whether in the office or while working from home, there may still be employees signing in to computers running Windows 7. This operating system reached “end of life” on January 14, 2020. That means Microsoft is no longer updating the software. Hackers know that, too, so sticking with the old system could make your company vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Cloud Migration

There is also the option of cloud migration. COVID-19 prompted businesses that might have been putting off cloud migration to move up their timetable, but some use virtual private networks or other remote access to enable work from home. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like we’ll be back in the office full-time and at full-force as we enter 2021, so this is also a good time to revisit the idea of cloud computing.

Tackle Long-Term Issues

End-of-year downtime provides an opportunity to review any long-standing IT problems. Evaluate how much time or productivity was lost in 2020 while troubleshooting IT issues. It’s a good idea to proactively plan your backup strategy and set up for disaster recovery. That way, if the worst does happen in 2021, you’re ready.

Keep your business secure and up to date with the help of a managed service provider. We’ll make sure you’ve got the best technology for your needs. We manage and monitor your IT tools, too. You stick to what you do best, and our experts will focus on your IT. Contact us today at (651) 686-0515 or fill out our contact form!

You’re Never Too Small to Outsource

A small business probably doesn’t have staff qualified to handle IT. You’re never too small to outsource your technology needs and prevent security breaches.

Small business owners are proud of getting everything done with few people. Every team member wears many hats. They are part of a family, devoted to the firm’s success. But that doesn’t make them qualified to handle IT. Really, you’re never too small to outsource your technology needs.

A small business may only have a few computers for its handful of employees. Having an in-house person dedicated to IT support would be overkill. But just because the technology is working fine today doesn’t mean your IT is performing at its best. That’s why it can be beneficial to outsource IT.

Having someone who knows technology working for your team can pay huge dividends. Your outsourcing partner will add value by:

helping you avoid bad tech purchases or buying software you don’t need;
identifying where you can be more efficient with tools you already have, which can save money;
providing knowledgeable support and IT help;
learning business needs and making recommendations about the best IT for your goals;
protecting your business technology and ensuring computers are up to date with security patches.

Small Business Data Breaches

Cybercriminals don’t care about business size. In fact, according to Accenture, 43% of cyberattacks were aimed at small businesses, and only 14% of the SMBs were prepared for defending their networks and sensitive data.

In fact, a small business can be a particularly appealing target. Hackers will exploit a small business as part of a campaign to attack a larger business. They know the SMB is less likely to have the same level of security as the bigger target in their sights.

Accenture’s 2019 study found that more than half of all small businesses had suffered a breach in the last year. These attacks can be crippling for SMBs. According to insurance carrier Hiscox, the average cyberattack costs a business $200,000. That figure can be a killer blow for a small business. Some 60% of SMBs hacked go out of business within six months of the attack. Even if they can survive the financial hit, damage to brand reputation and customer goodwill is devastating.

Advantages Of Outsourcing Small Business IT

You may not have a clear picture of your cybersecurity status right now, but by working with a managed services provider (MSP) like Sovran, you’ll get one. Your partner will conduct an informal audit of your current technology and learn your short- and long-term goals.

Your small business, for instance, may not have a data protection procedure. You might be thinking you don’t have a lot to backup and store. But the quantity may not be the primary concern. Can you recover if your business loses an email chain it was keeping for legal or compliance reasons? What would happen if the computer holding your accounting database died? An MSP can identify where tech changes can better ensure business continuity.

When you outsource, your partner will also inventory all your tech assets. They’ll need to know everything about your infrastructure and your business’s technology capabilities. Your current team may recognize the importance of securing the business’s intellectual property, but are they also protecting customer data and employee records? Your business needs to be intentional about confidentiality, availability, and safety. An MSP can help.

Cost Of Outsourcing Small Business IT

The cost of outsourcing is often a stumbling block for the budget-conscious SMB. Managed IT services can often lower costs for clients by streamlining processes, managing vendor relationships, and ensuring that the business technology is best suited to current needs. And you’ll pay a fixed regular fee for a technology team member who will help you avoid big, costly tech surprises.

No business is too small to outsource IT. Having access to a full-time IT professional via a managed service provider can improve your operations, enhance productivity, and lower cybersecurity risk.

Partner with a technology expert like Sovran to review your needs and set you up for future success. Contact us today at (651) 686-0515 or fill out a contact form!

COVID the Sequel: Revisit Business Continuity Plans

We are facing another coronavirus pandemic, a second wave. For business, this means revisiting business continuity plans and work-from-home protocols.

There’s a sequel no one had any interest in seeing open this fall – COVID: The Second Wave. Despite lack of interest, we are facing another coronavirus pandemic. For business, this means revisiting business continuity plans.

Many states started to lift restrictions in an attempt to return to “normal” during the summer. Yet most experts predicted things would get bad again later this year. You still have time to recalibrate your business continuity planning (BCP) this fall and prepare for the winter.

Maybe your business had a plan in place in the spring. Decision-makers laid out actions to take in the event of fire, flood, or devastating data breach. The plan didn’t envision quarantine, but the planning worked well enough to keep your teams going.

Or you might have been scrambling to get up and running quickly in the midst of a global lockdown. Still, after initial business disruption, you were able to get back to business (if not quite as usual).
Now, looking ahead, we’re seeing a second bout of sheltering-in-place coming soon. Take stock today to prepare for another bout of the virus disrupting business.

What Worked In Your Previous COVID Response?

BCP predicts various types of crises and strategizes what to do when things go wrong. If you did business continuity planning in advance, you weighed options and decided on the best attack without stress and urgency. Those reacting in the moment to mandates to shut down probably took more of a “this is the best we can do” approach.

Either way, let’s hope your business found some approaches and had positive results. Perhaps moving to cloud-based virtual desktop services smoothed the transition to remote work or installing a virtual private network (VPN) to secure off-site access paid off.

Identify all the strategies that were successful in the spring and summer. If adopted as short-term solutions, you may want to explore their value long-term. Perhaps you contracted with a vendor for a temporary solution that worked well, this could cost less if you renegotiate for a longer duration. Perhaps something you tried with one team can roll out company-wide to prepare for a second period of work from home.

What Needs Help With This COVID Response?

Did you find any shortfalls that slowed work from home? What tech difficulties did your people face? Identify the problem areas, and look for solutions now.

Maybe you had employees working from home on corporate laptops or personal devices. They could be going back to the laundry room home office now. Is a laptop or home computer still the technology you want them using?

Were there issues with employees lacking bandwidth to get the job done? Was logging in difficult because your system only handles 25% of employees at a given time? You need a different level of service to support everybody at one time!

Maybe certain departments were able to adjust swiftly but others struggled. Identify tech challenges, and find solutions to remove friction if we do #WFH again.

Make Changes To Your COVID Response Now

Updating your business continuity plan is prudent, so make the moves now to prepare. Do it while businesses are open and able to do on-site visits in some capacity. An IT partner can often work remotely, but many tasks are more efficient on-site.

The first wave of COVID-19 taught us valuable lessons; don’t be caught off guard twice.

Your people might have been more productive with remote tech, so set up the systems to secure and support a long-term remote work solution.