3 Things You Can Do Now to Make the New Year Better for Business
I like to think of any New Year as an opportunity to start fresh, to look at what’s been working for my business and what is holding it back. What opportunities to improve have we put off until there’s a better time to consider them? And of course, there’s always – where am I over spending, and how can I save money or at least get more value?
This blog is unabashedly skewed to answering these from an IT perspective because that’s where I live and breathe. But, in a way, so does your business. It cannot thrive or compete if its IT systems are not performing as they should.
1. Make Sure You’re 100% Confident and Secure with Your IT Support
Your IT support team or Managed Services Provider should be bending over backward to make sure your systems are running optimally and if there’s ever an issue, you have no worries they’ll fix it quickly, and right the first time. They should give you complete confidence that the systems that run your business are at peak performance.
If you’re experiencing anything less, it’s affecting your business. It’s slowing productivity, taking people off task, and inconveniencing customers. If you’re wondering if your current provider is performing up to standards, take this quick assessment.
2. Find Out if Your Systems are Really Secure – Get a Penetration Test
Whatever security measures you have in place, unless you are getting regular testing and documentation, there is no way to know if you are protected against a breach. A Penetration Test, or “ethical hacking” is where IT experts look at your systems as a cybercriminal would, to see where you have vulnerabilities.
It’s unrealistic to assume cybercrime only happens to other businesses. A Penetration Test is an inexpensive way to know how secure your systems are before you find out the costly way that they’re not. Here’s some info on Penetration Testing.
3. Lower Your IT Spend
Are you getting a great value from your IT services provider? If you’re on a fixed monthly fee, is it in line with the size of your business and the quality of services you’re receiving? Or does it seem like you’re paying a lot and getting little?
If you’re not on a monthly fee and are just paying for fixes, are you concerned that one major issue could break the budget? Your IT services should be customized to your business size and needs, and priced accordingly. Your IT service should be very affordable and ideally provide value above and beyond the monthly fee. Here’s more info on IT Services pricing.
This may seem like a lot to consider, but entering a brand new year with the same old problems is counterproductive. Taking a little time now to evaluate your current situation and then potentially making a change for the better will pay off – every day. If you’d like some help and expertise in evaluating your current situation, schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with me, John Mamon, Owner & CEO of mPowered IT. I’m also a small business advocate who will always have your back. Schedule a Consultation.