January 1, 2018 –

The new year is here! And with every new year comes a new set of opportunities (and challenges!) for your growing business. Make 2018 the year you use technology to give you a competitive edge, and also to protect your business. If you’ve been putting this off (maybe hoping you’ll somehow be missed by cyber criminals?), now is your chance! Tackle that IT “to do” list and put yourself on the right path to move your business forward.

Technology Resolution #1 – Backup Your Data

Take a moment to picture this: What would happen to your business if you lost a day’s worth of data? A week’s? All of it? Unfortunately data loss can happen to your team at any time due to human error, hardware failure, corruption or cyber attacks. Make sure you have your data safely and securely backed up and stored. Today, 96% of PCs* aren’t adequately backed up. For the same reasons you buy insurance for your business, be sure to invest in a quality backup solution. This will help you recover in the event of data loss. Be sure your back-ups are secure, encrypted, and monitored. So you can count on your data being there when you need it.

Read more about Backup and Disaster Recovery

*Source: Pricewaterhouse Coopers

Technology Resolution #2 – Update Your Data Security

According to data from Symantec, 43 percent of cyberattacks are targeting small business.  What’s most alarming is that 60% of small and midsized businesses that are breached go out of business within six months!  From ransomware, to Business Email Compromise, to malicious websites, there’s a lot of criminals looking to take advantage of small businesses who might not have prepared to defend themselves from attack.  This HAS TO BE THE YEAR when you tackle your data security and make sure you have the protections you need.

Read more about protecting your business from cyber threats

Technology Resolution #3 – Use the Cloud to Your Advantage

Moving your technology into the cloud can be a huge advantage for your small to midsized business. You can run your software in the cloud, your email and communication tools in the cloud, and your hardware (data storage) in the cloud. With this move you can take advantage of the latest technologies and scale quickly as your business grows. And from a data security standpoint, you’ll often have more protection as your data is stored in a secure facility than what you might be able to achieve in your local office.

If you’re not sure where to start, read more about Cloud Computing solutions or contact us.

Technology Resolution #4 – Manage Your Passwords

If you don’t have a strong password management policy in your organization then your first step is to have everyone update their passwords to something unique as soon as possible. (Today is good day for it!). Make sure your team uses a unique password that they aren’t using anywhere else. Check out this article for tips on creating good passwords. Once that’s done, consider using a Password Manager solution, which can help automate password creation and storage for your team. You install the software on your computer and mobile device, and use one master password (which you memorize) which will unlock all of the passwords being stored. With the right solution you can manage passwords across your business. You can also change passwords for employees that leave and enforce a password changing policy to keep your business secure.

If you’d like to manage passwords across your entire business please contact us.

Technology Resolution #5 – Train Your Team

You can install the best data security solution in the world, but it won’t matter if your employees unwittingly give out confidential information to cyber-criminals. Hackers today use sophisticated social engineering schemes to trick your employees into sharing passwords, wiring funds to fraudulent accounts, and sharing employee and customer data. The best defense against these schemes is to train your employees to spot them so they don’t become the next victim. Many small and midsized businesses skip this critical step, so make a resolution to start your training program in 2018.

Read more about setting up user training to help protect your business.

Tackle these technology resolutions in 2018 and you’ll be on the right path to move your business forward. If you would like to learn more about using technology to empower your business and protect your data, contact us for a free evaluation and recommendation. You can also call us at (866) 407-1284.

Here’s to a great 2018!

– The AccountabilIT Team