This year has proved more difficult for small businesses than anyone could have anticipated. Nonetheless, many companies have shown inspirational adaptivity and resilience in the face of extreme hardships.
In celebration of the many ingenuitive and dedicated small business owners in Texas, we’re sharing our favorite technology tips for Texas small businesses.
Upgrade Your Communication
Technology has made huge strides in the communication capabilities of businesses, yet some organizations continue using outdated tools and processes. In the age of remote work, communication is essential to your team’s collaboration, productivity, and success.
Tools like Microsoft Teams can increase productivity and efficiency, especially in remote workplaces, by providing team members with one platform that enables face-to-face (or rather, screen-to-screen) communication through video conferencing, the ability to quickly and casually communicate through instant messaging, and secure, easy file sharing.
Technology-enabled communication can significantly increase your business’s potential for creativity and growth.
Invest in the Right Tools
Creating a business IT strategy is more about long-term ROI than immediate spending or savings. At Tolar Systems, we help you evaluate your options and introduce savings on IT costs—but it’s also not beneficial to skimp on IT spending when investing now could lead to increased efficiency and productivity for years to come.
You need to ensure your IT investment will be worthwhile in the long run by taking the time to evaluate your needs and get the right hardware and software for your unique business needs from the start.
When making big technology decisions, ask yourself how your current processes are operating, what inefficiencies could be solved, and how implementing new technology could change your current processes. We highly recommend speaking with a trained IT expert who can guide you through the business technology options that are available and help match your needs to the right equipment.
Don’t Underestimate Security
Cyber attacks pose an increasing threat to small businesses; reports show that currently, 43% of cyber attacks are aimed at SMBs. Noting this growing risk, last year, the state of Texas mandated that government employees and elected officials complete a certified security awareness training course.
With these circumstances in mind, every business needs proactive, comprehensive cybersecurity in place; this isn’t one area of your tech you want to cut just to save money, because that will likely cost you more in the long run.
Every well-rounded security plan should cover a variety of areas, including:
- Network Monitoring and Vulnerability Scanning. You need constant monitoring so that suspicious activity can be detected and shut down immediately.
- Security Training. Human error poses one of the largest risks to your cybersecurity. For comprehensive protection, your employees need to be trained on safe practices.
- Password Management & Security. Weak passwords make a hacker’s job easy. Password management tools like LastPass remove password vulnerability.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). MFA protects your accounts even if your password is discovered, providing a nearly unbreakable barrier between threat actors and your account.
- Penetration Testing. You don’t want to wait until a real cyber attack to know if your defenses will hold. Pen testing puts your cybersecurity into action by testing real-life scenarios.
Use the Cloud
Cloud technology is another advancement that brings significant advantages to modern businesses. It introduces cost savings and flexibility into processes that previously required much more extensive equipment and subscriptions.
Cloud solutions also allow you to create and maintain secure backups to keep your data safe in the event of a disaster or cyber attack.
Not every business will have the same needs and uses for cloud services, but with cloud-hosted applications, storage, communications, and more available, this can be a valuable and customizable resource.
Outsource Your IT to a Texas Managed Service Provider
Many small businesses have significant potential for growth, but they don’t know how to utilize their technology to propel them toward their business goals. By outsourcing your IT to a professional Managed Service Provider providing IT services in Abilene, you can receive expert guidance and support for your Texas small business technology.
