We all live in an age where almost everything can be done online. The 2020 pandemic really highlighted this to us, when doing business was done remotely. The need for technology has become a necessity in all areas of our livelihood, from online shopping, banking, taxis and food deliveries. We can’t get away from it. Even though technology has become integrated in society, some companies have sometimes neglected to see the importance of investing in IT Solutions. We at Cinco Amor have come up with 5 things to avoid doing, to keep your business up and running successfully.
These 5 things to avoid are also why you need to invest in a proper IT Support team.
Most of us who have been around computers long enough to believe we may know some of the reasons why our computer may not be working. Google also makes us think we are masters of any trade. Our advice is, when you think you have an IT issue, which you may have the knowledge or think you can resolve…DON’T! Call or raise a ticket with your IT department. Your experience even though valuable can cause more harm than good.
An example of this can be seen when, Client A took too long to report a prompt from the computer to update and reboot. By the time Client A thought of requesting assistance, all the files were corrupted. The disk had to be wiped and windows reinstalled. However because the files were saved in a server backup solution, they didn’t lose any of their work. We were able to restore their systems.
Another thing to avoid when running your business, is waiting too late to invest in cyber security. This can be leave your business vulnerable to malicious activities. Such as spam, malware, viruses etc. Thieves and hackers do not care who you are, they will attack both big and small businesses to cause as much disruption as possible. Vulnerabilities are discovered daily, not having a handle on cyber security can massively impact your business. An example of a vulnerable business is when Client A came to us because they were affected by Ransomware which encrypted all their company documents. The only option was to recover from a backup, which the client unfortunately didn’t have in place.
Not investing in updated hardware can leave your systems open to attacks but more importantly breakdown of systems. This will create downtime in your business and a loss in productivity. Upgrading software can literally take a matter of hours if the right infrastructure is in place. The replacement of outdated hardware is usually a one off cost and something you can prepare for if you have an IT Support Plan. Lack of upgrades to hardware and software can mean that the device is insecure. Updates can include critical security patches which would protect against new security threats. For example, Client A was affected by malware they had a single EOL Windows XP machine on their private network. This spread to their file server, causing the system to shut down.
Backing up your data is extremely important. Have you ever been working on a document and your computer crashed before you had a chance to save your information? Now imagine that happening to your entire network and all of you company data gets lost. Or if you live in an area which is prone to natural disasters flooding, storms etc the worse happens and all of your data is at risk. Why put your company through that? Why put yourself through that? The lack of backups and a disaster recovery solution can be detrimental for businesses, especially in the event of theft or damage, this is critical to assets in the business. To give an example of the seriousness, when Client A’s machine was stolen, they lost unrecoverable critical client data. This was due to them not having a backup and having important files stored locally on a personal workstation.
An IT Support Plan is a document which guides the IT operations for your business. It outlines the IT objectives and goals for the company. It then looks at the strategies and tactics required to achieving these goals. Not having an IT Support Plan as part of your overall business plan exposes your company to risk. Risk from attacks, risk of system breakdowns and risk of operation downtime. Without an IT support plan, you are left to your own devices which could be problematic when faced with IT problems.
Often times if there is an error with a workstation a user may be prompted to resolve it with a number of suggested solutions. For example, Client A had a number of concurrent crashes which resulted in Microsoft Windows suggesting to restore the machine. The client chose to restore but removed all data and documents in the process. This could be avoided if employees know the processes outlined in the IT Support Plan.
These 5 things to avoid are detrimental to the success of your day to day and overall IT Systems of your business. Therefore, not only avoid doing these things but actively seeks ways to implement them into how business is conducted daily.