Small business owners are no strangers to challenges in keeping productivity and efficiency running smoothly on a daily basis. There is no doubt that technological challenges can play a major role in overall time management. Are you curious if the challenges you face are common for all small businesses, or specific to yours? Here are 5 technology hurdles that are common among all small businesses today.
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Issues with Technology in Small Businesses is Common
There are a good amount of problems most small business owners face that can be solved by educating yourself and understanding that these issues have been tackled by other businesses in the past. Some of the most common technical challenges include:
- Handling security risks
- Protecting data
- Disaster recovery challenges
- Understanding strategic planning
- Staying current with new technologies
1) Handling Security Risks
Cyber attacks can happen to virtually any company, large or small. Research has shown that 60% of small businesses go out of business within 6 months of a cyber attack. Unfortunately, if you aren’t prepared beforehand it can be a disaster to your business and its reputation. Research and find a reliable IT service to educate you on ways to prevent a data breach and put those motions into practice as soon as possible.
2) Protecting Data
Your customers trust you with their information and rely on you to protect it. The same privacy laws might not apply to every small business, but it’s important to be aware of the regulations for data protection in your industry– should you ever experience a data breach. All laws aside, your customers put a lot of faith in you and you want to maintain their trust by keeping their personal information secure.
ProTip: Ask a professional IT service for their recommendation on the most up-to-date data protection laws and be sure you’re abiding by them to avoid legal repercussions in the case of a data breach.
3) Disaster Recovery Preparations
When there is an unfortunate event like a natural disaster that is out of your control, you’ll be glad you had a recovery plan in place. A great way to start preparing for unknown circumstances is by backing up all data to many different sources:
- Laptops
- Servers
- Tablets
- Phones
By doing this, you’ll get a better idea of what your disaster recovery time will look like so you can inform your customers on what to expect. Clients will appreciate that you’ve planned ahead in case of an emergency.
4) Understanding the Value of Strategic Planning
No one wants to face an unexpected operations issue without any clue as to how to overcome it. Strategic planning is crucial to the success of small businesses and technological challenges. Take the time with your team to put a plan in place that can be used in the long-term to help improve your overall processes. In the event that a disaster does occur, you will be able to handle it calmly and purposefully, getting your business back online as soon as possible.
5) Staying Current with New Technologies
In this fast-paced technological world, it’s important to stay abreast of the latest advances in technology and how small businesses are changing the way they operate for quicker and more efficient delivery of services to their customers.
Let a Professional IT Service Help
Small businesses should work with a professional IT service to guide them through any technology questions or issues they might have. IT experts will know exactly what your business should prepare for and how to go about maintaining data security and disaster recovery.
Join the conversation and speak with our Houston IT team to discover what other common scenarios small businesses come across and how they overcame their challenges!
