Every business in New York relies on technology in some form, from ecommerce and point of sale (POS) software to databases, networking, and even security and phone systems. Although these tools are not necessarily related directly to their core business, they are still vital to the smooth running of the business. Viruses, hacks, network failures, and lost data can disrupt business.
That’s why it’s so important to protect your IT systems. Here are three tech mistakes small businesses make – and how IT consultants in New York can help avoid them.
Inadequate Technical Support
Perhaps the biggest mistake small businesses can make is not having a reliable technical support service in the first place. Systems these days are too complex to leave to an employee who “knows a little bit about computers.” Besides, the stakes are much higher. Having a day, a week, or a month of sales wiped out in an instant is a hard lesson to learn.
Knowledgeable and reliable IT consultants can help ensure your systems run smoothly. They aren’t there just to fix things – they can actually help you avoid problems in the first place by properly maintaining your systems and monitoring them for slowdowns, viruses, and other threats. The better IT consultants in New York will also help you create a solid backup plan to help protect your data from any number of threats (see below). And, should the worst happen, they can help get your systems get back up and running faster.
Main takeaway: IT consultants can help you avoid catastrophic events, and get you back up and running faster if they do occur.
Terrible Backup Strategies
Data is the lifeblood of any business. Sales, inventory, customer relations – everything a company does is recorded in a database. If that data is lost or IT systems are down for any reason, the consequences are serious. FEMA estimates that 40% of businesses do not reopen after a disaster (including natural disasters, human-caused hazards, and technological failures), and of those who do reopen, bankruptcy within a year is a real possibility. Yet many companies and organizations lack a proper backup strategy should the worst happen due to fire, hackers, or total system failure.
That’s where an IT consultant in New York can help. They will work with you to identify holes in your security, flag risks, and do a complete system analysis. Most importantly, they will help you develop a disaster recovery and business continuity (DRBC) plan that will account for almost any situation. That means that if the worst does happen, your data will be safely protected and your company won’t become another statistic.
Main Takeaway: the vast majority of bankruptcies due to disaster could have been avoided by implementing a data backup plan.
Security Failures
The human-caused hazards mentioned above mostly involve malicious cyber attacks including hacks, ransomware, viruses, and data theft. What makes it worst is the head-in-the-sand approach that many have. Small companies sometimes feel they are immune to these attacks because of their size. They are under the false impression that cyber criminals go after the “big prize” of large corporations. The truth is, many target smaller companies on purpose because they know their security systems are not as robust. Besides, a $3,000 ransom goes a long way in some of the countries these hackers are from. For cyber criminals, smaller companies represent less risk, greater chance at success, and enough of a payout to make it worthwhile.
Many of these cyber attacks can be avoided by a few easy steps. Some of the obvious ones are:
- Ensuring all software is up to date
- Ensuring all anti-virus software is running and up to date
- Securing all wireless networks
- Disabling guest accounts
- Performing regular security audits and fixing the holes found
An IT consultant in New York can help with these and some of the less obvious ones as well. Other protective steps include IT audits, system monitoring, and robust backup systems to minimize the risk of attack and to minimize the risk of data loss in the case of hacks, ransomware, and other attacks.
Main Takeaway: Cyber threats are on the rise, but basic cybersecurity steps including a professional IT audit can greatly reduce the risk of cyber attacks.
CompCiti Can Keep You Protected
CompCiti Business Solutions, Inc. is an IT consultant in New York that can provide all of these services and more. Since 1996, CompCiti has helped New York-based organizations with all of their IT needs from business networking and data backup to advanced cybersecurity and additional services such as IT staffing. Call today at (212) 594-4374 to find out how CompCiti can help protect your IT systems too.
