The increased digitisation of data offers many obvious benefits to a small business in terms of keeping track of all your valuable information. However it also brings with it a plethora of new risks and potential problems. These can be avoided or ameliorated by simple planning and thinking ahead (and having someone proficient and skilled in charge of your IT systems, of course!), so it’s handy to have a look at just what they might be so they can be tackled before they become a real issue. Remember, data is just as important to your business as profit is – losing your accounts can be as destructive as burning your money.
Perhaps the most important thing you can do in order to minimise further problems down the line is effective staff training. This can’t be overstated – if everyone knows what they are doing and what the procedures are, then the likelihood of problems drastically decreases. And that includes yourself, so make sure you’re completely up to speed on all your IT systems before you start teaching everyone else.
Having an off-site tech team is recommended, but even once you have one of those in place there are things you need to do yourself in order to make your life easier. Little things, the kind of things a lot of people tend to overlook – such as having strong passwords, for example. “1234” is a recipe for disaster, as are passwords anyone with a knowledge of you or your business would have a decent chance of guessing. Birthdays, children’s names – these are essentially an unlocked door. Use a combination of letters and numbers – preferably one that doesn’t actually mean anything in itself, to make it impossible to guess. And whatever you do don’t write them on Post-It notes stuck around the office!
Developing an IT strategy is also invaluable. Your IT support provider can help you with this, but it’s good for everyone in the business to know exactly what the procedures are, and that way a lot of problems can be headed off at the pass before you even need to call your off-site support.
As long as you keep ahead of things, and your systems are in good hands, then you’ll be amazed how many problems can be avoided entirely.
If your company requires out-sourced IT support contact Ghost IT today by calling 01708 390 370 and speak to an expert about your requirements in further detail. Alternatively fill in our online contact form or visit our website here.