By: Erick Solms – President of Simplitfy
Most of the employees at your small or midsize business are hard at work in their area of expertise, whether that be selling your product over the phone or creating incredible marketing campaigns. They may be so invested in their daily tasks that they cut corners in the security department in order to meet deadlines. That's where the problems start. However, if you put all hands on deck to handle security measures, marketing and production may come to a standstill. The key is balance.
How can you implement proper security at your business while still remaining productive? Don't be afraid to utilize tools and enlist outside help. Read on to get some tips for balancing productivity and security as an SMB.
Conduct a quarterly assessment to see your security vulnerabilities and strengths, and then seek out tools to boost your areas of weakness. You may want to save money above all else, but consider how much it would cost you if you lost access to your vital data for three days. If you can't access client accounts or have to inform your clients that their data was breached -- the cost can be breathtaking. Paying for security tools has intangible benefits, not the least of which is peace of mind. Some key security must-have tools include:
You should also invest in security awareness training for your entire team. When your security tools are in place and your staff is educated, you can remain secure without losing any productivity. Say goodbye to time lost to troubleshooting data issues or email breaches, because your security tools are handling that while you manage client recruitment and product development.
A managed service provider, or MSP, can be a lifesaver for small and midsize businesses. When you're not ready to hire an IT staff full time (or don't quite need one) but don't want to spend all your time on data issues, an MSP can swoop in to save you. An MSP works off-site to handle all your security needs. You can think of an MSP as a vendor, but your relationship will often become much more familiar than that.
An IT MSP can handle everything from securing your data in the cloud to monitoring your servers for breaches or hacks. It may even be able to assist in data merges or other IT-related tasks. Choosing an efficient and effective service provider means you have access to the latest in technology and security tools and someone to monitor your security around the clock. Meanwhile, your time is freed up to handle other essential operations at your organization.
Productivity and security are two of the most crucial elements of any successful SMB. For too many companies, focusing on one has meant sacrificing the other. Spend all of your time developing a new product, and you forget to update your anti-virus software. Focus on security measures, and your marketing presentation won't get done. If this sounds familiar, it's time to call in reinforcements.
Simplitfy is here to help! Contact us today. We know IT solutions like the back of our hand, and we're at your service.
Simplitfy® provides a myriad of professional IT Services for small and medium sized businesses. We provide a wide spectrum of flexible business technology solutions including business growth consulting, technical helpdesk, IT support, project management, hardware, and complete cabling and network installations.
