We recently attended an IT conference in Nashville and the guest speakers were pretty savvy on the topic of business and entrepreneurship. I was really interested to find out what Daymond John, Robert Herjavek and Kevin O’Leary would say about business in 2023 that I might be able to apply to my own practices and strategies and that I may be able to share with our clients and our prospects. Here are three of their expert opinions on why your business needs to make IT a priority in 2023.
- Cyber security applies to everybody.
The need for IT is growing and it is not limited to any vertical. Robert says that it used to be that certain industries can claim that they are not targets for cyber criminals. This is no longer the case. Criminals do not discriminate based on industry, company maturity or company size. They will come after any business. And they will hurt those that are not taking appropriate measures for mitigating an attack. - More regulation is coming down the pike.
The way we share, store, and interact with data is going to become more and more regulated in the future. If you manage personal or sensitive client data, and you are not sure if your emails are encrypted, if your employees are trained in what not to click or download, if your backups can be tested and restored, then you need to have a conversation about the data you manage with your IT services provider.
“Regulation will be passed down at every level for everyone that touches data.” – Robert Herjavek, CEO of Herjavek Group
- More businesses need to be educated on IT services, cyber security and best practices.
Daymond John said to a room full of MSPs, or managed services providers (like Capstone IT,) “They don’t even know they need you and they desperately need you.”
So many Treasure Coast and Palm Beach businesses that we met with make IT services an afterthought. They put off meeting with companies like us for months, or even years, even when they know they are not compliant or have huge gaps in their network security. And then even when we assess their network and give feedback, they really struggle to pull the trigger on an upgrade in their current IT services. It takes many interactions and a lot of education to show the value in the services we provide. And by the time most businesses explore best practices in IT, cyber criminals and other technologies have evolved even more.
I don’t know about you, but the opinions of the SHARKS from Shark Tank are ones I do not take lightly. Kevin O’Leary says that every night, he sits down with a glass of his own Chardonnay – which can be bought at QVC – and looks at his investments. If you had to sit and think about what kind of investment you are making in your network security, the data your business is responsible for and the technology that keeps your business running, how satisfied would you be with your efforts? I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from the SHARKS that I can certainly relate to in building my own South Florida business.
“What is an entrepreneur? Someone who jumps out of a plane and builds the parachute on the way down.” – Robert Herjavek
If you want to have a free 10-minute conversation about the value of IT services, regulations and compliance, or best practices in cybersecurity for businesses, book an appointment here.