5 Biggest Mistakes Business Owners when it comes to Business Technology

Having been in the IT Support business for nearly 2 decades in the Katy area we have seen a lot of mistakes that business owners have made that can have devasting effects. We have put together the top 5 for you so that you can avoid these pitfalls.

 

  1. BACKUPS – No1 on the list is backups. Either they are not done correctly or they are not tested to ensure they are working. This can be crippling for a business and can ultimately cause it’s downfall. There are many ways that data can be lost, from Ransomware, Mechanical failure, power surges, theft, human error or sabotage, the list goes on, but the end result is the data is lost and without a backup you could be dead in the water.

Data should always be in at least 3 different places, on the computer, backed up locally and then backed up to the cloud. Backups should also be incremental so that you can revert to an earlier version should the backup be corrupted or encrypted.

Backups should also be periodically tested to ensure that you can restore them correctly

 

  1. INSECURE EMAILS – The number 1 way that companies get hacked and compromised is through insecure emails. Having a free or low cost email may seem like the way to go when you start your business, but hackers are using this lack of security to access email accounts then they infiltrate and hijack systems for ransom. It makes sense to spend a small amount to have secure emails. The monthly cost is minor compared to the cost of ransomed data or data loss.

 

  1. OUTDATED SOFTWARE – Small business owners rarely think about updating their software and processes. They are convinced that they work as they are. However, running with outdated software can lead to bigger problems down the road if your programs are not supported when they fail or get corrupted. This can be disastrous. Businesses that use outdated operating systems are three times more likely to suffer from a data breach. Whilst those that use outdated browsers are twice as likely to suffer a data breach.

 

  1. LACK OF PROTECTION AGAINST POWER OUTAGES AND SURGES – Small business owners often forget to bother with power supply issues. When the power goes off in the middle of a working day, they may face inconvenient interruptions. This can also lead to equipment failure, data loss and corrupted data bases. Power interruptions may occur from high voltage power surges so a UPS or Uninterruptible Power Supply unit is essential to every business.

 

  1. NO PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE OR MONITORING – Waiting for something to break before you fix the issue ultimately leads to downtime, lost data and lost productivity. Keeping your systems up-to-date and well maintained will ensure uptime and optimal productivity.