Five IT Tips for Small Business

Running a small business can be busy and often keeping complex tasks simple is quite challenging. Yet technology keeps evolving and when harnessed right, it can be of great benefit and efficiency- or a headache. Being aware of the following five tips for small businesses can help add efficiency to your organisation.

The profile of people in your organisation is changing

The next generation is coming through, and they work very differently to the one before it, and the one before that. We will start to see several different people who come into your business that have been born with modern technology. If you don’t ensure you are keeping pace, you might lock yourself away from some of the best talent. But that also leads into;

Provide the tools, or they will get their own.

If you don’t provide people with the tools that they need or want, they will get their own. Whilst this is certainly not malicious, it is a very real risk of knowledge loss for your organisation. You need to have a technology stack that enables people to work the way they want and make sure they understand why those tools are in place.

Security is a shared responsibility

If you’re not confident with your security, there is some work to be done. Your staff need to understand the impact of a knowledge loss, and their part to play. Communication is a key, and training must be a continuous improvement process to provide the best level of protection.

IT is NOT responsible for your security. However, they must be involved across all aspects at an operational level to provide strategic direction and drive the outcomes. If you don’t have this, find it. Fast.

Choose a technology vendor, and stick with them

Chose Microsoft, chose Google-whatever suits your situation. Look at their stack, it is surprising what solutions they have already, with more being added at a rapid rate. Look at the innovation that they are providing and the level of integration. Integration is important to ensuring security when data is moving. If you need something new – make sure that you give preference to the integrated solution (either from that vendor, or ensuring they natively integrate). The middleware and “not quite a fit” solutions are often the most expensive. If you’re unsure which is best for you, contact us and we can advise depending on your needs.

Often, it’s better to change the process

You’ve identified a problem and found a technology solution to resolve it- will it give you the best outcome? Challenge why you have that problem objectively and you may find that it’s easier to change the people or process than the technology. Always implement based on best practice.

Keep your IT current

You must be up to date. Staying still is moving backwards. The longer you spend behind the technology status quo, the risk snowballs quickly. If you’re not up to date, a security incident will occur that will cost you more as a reaction to the incident than it will to become up to date. Being strategic in staying current allows you to make controlled decisions and manage your investment for greater impact.

Each of these points are designed to keep it simple. Simple saves money, and when you’re running a small business – keeping things simple is critical. For help managing your IT system solutions contact Qamba today.

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