This last week, we had the opportunity to head to Orlando for an IT marketing conference with Technology Marketing Toolkit. We learned about all of the newest technologies, cyber security offerings and other business services we can resell to our clients. We also had the opportunity to learn from other IT companies from all around the country and we heard business leaders speak such as Marcus Lemonis from the Profit and Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank.
Kevin O’Leary currently has investments in over fifty companies. When the pandemic hit around March 7th and every company experienced a negative cash flow, Kevin was paying close attention to what factors might keep his businesses afloat.
It did not take him long to recognize that with remote work-from-home mandates and the demand for technology that his business ventures may survive – and even thrive – through the pandemic if they pivot and adapt. They had to have the basic business functionalities in place, but they also had to consider what it would take to keep their data secure and maintain business continuity.
Throughout his lecture to us, a room full of IT business owners, the tone was encouraging. Kevin himself, increased technology spends in his organizations by 42% - with the focus on security. That’s great news for us, because at Capstone IT, we are always looking to protect our clients with levels of security and great backups for company data.
This solidifies the steps we are trying to take at Capstone IT for our clients and prospects who may not have jumped on the security band wagon yet. If you have not had security for your business as a top-of-mind item, here are the top five steps you can take to secure your network in your own South Florida small to medium sized business.
- Invest in good backups. Your IT company should be monitoring and testing those backups so that in the case of a disaster or a breach, you do not have to experience downtime.
- Adopt a good employee security training program. Human error is the #1 reason for breaches. Employees should be trained to spot phishing emails and avoid clicking on malicious links and sites.
- Make sure your IT company is applying layers of security to your network. Your IT company should have many different protections in place from a firewall to commercial-grade antivirus and more.
- Invest in business-class hardware and software. Do not install anti-virus software intended for residential use. When choosing industry-specific software, make sure you are using the appropriate licensing for commercial use. Buy business-class laptops and desktops. All of these upgrades intended for business use will be built with more securities and will be more compliant with security measures your IT company puts in place to protect you.
- Enforce good technology policies and procedures throughout your company. Have a work-from-home policy. Develop a policy around company vs. personal devices. Have a backup and recovery plan in place. Consult an IT professional to develop a best practice guide for the use of technology in your business.
If any of these items are on your “to-do” list, but you just have not implemented them yet, please call us at 561-257-1789. We can guide you in the next steps for security in your business.