It makes intuitive sense that your IT strategy should align with your overall business strategy. But what does this look like when the rubber meets the road? There is no one-size-fits-all IT strategy. Your business is unique. Your IT strategy should be too.
We have been helping businesses evaluate, build, and monitor their IT infrastructure, IT security, and overall IT strategy for over 19 years. In this article, we’ll share some of the insights that we have gleaned from our experience. We hope to point you in the right direction. If you would like to book a free consultation to further discuss how we can help your organization, we would be delighted to hear from you.
IT Infrastructure
Technology is an ever-changing landscape, and identifying and purchasing IT infrastructure is a topic that you will repeatedly visit in your organization. There is one thing that all businesses and organizations have in common: everyone benefits from running a cost-effective operation.
Before a new infrastructure purchase, ask, “Do I already have what I need?”
Often, organizations are over-stocked with programs and other IT infrastructure, and they don’t even realize it. For example, if you are a Microsoft Office subscriber, you already have many powerful specialty tools at your fingertips. Most O365 licenses include chat functions (don’t need that Slack subscription), survey collection (Survey Monkey’s great, but why pay twice?), video calls (how much are you spending on Zoom?), and more.
If you work with a trusted IT partner, they can help you dive further into the nitty-gritty of how your IT infrastructure can align with your business strategy. As a team, work together to identify practical and elegant IT infrastructure solutions within your budget that align with your organization’s mission and strategy.
IT Security
Many small to medium businesses think they are too small to experience a data breach, ransomware attack, malware, or other types of cybercrime. However, this belief is precisely why small to medium businesses are the most vulnerable targets. According to Forbes.com, small businesses comprise 58% of all reported data breach victims. Insurance company, Hiscox, says that the average total cost of a data breach for all sizes of companies is $200,000.
How do cybercriminals use stolen information? Sometimes, the goal is direct access to your financial accounts; but the path to monetizing your information is not always so straightforward. Cybercriminals exploit security vulnerabilities to harvest, use, buy and sell company data, customer data, and personnel data in myriad ways. While access to financial accounts is the biggest score for a hacker, something as seemingly innocuous as Personally-Identifying Information (PII) is a common hacker target because it can be used for identity theft, even extortion, or sold to the highest bidder.
When it comes to building their security strategy, many small and medium businesses will install antivirus software and call it a day. Regrettably, there are a lot more data and network vulnerabilities these days than just viruses. For this reason, it is essential to build a layered approach to your organization’s data security, starting with staff security awareness. (Did you know that employees, no matter how loyal, intelligent, and good-intentioned, are typically the number one vulnerability in an organization?)
For a deeper dive into building your layered security approach, check out our free downloadable IT Security Checklist.
Find the Right IT Support
From time to time, all organizations need IT support of some kind. Most people think of the break/fix approach to IT when they consider IT support. However, just like taking care of your body, a house, or a car, preventive maintenance is often the most impactful and cost-effective approach. It is worth finding a reliable IT partner who can identify and prevent issues before those issues grow and put business to a halt.
When shopping for the right IT partner, look for experienced professionals with preventive maintenance in mind, who can help you build a layered approach to security, and who will work with you to identify infrastructure solutions that work for your business and budget.
For additional recommendations on finding the right, IT support partner, check out our previous articles on the right questions to ask an IT support company and building an IT service management strategy.
We have been supporting small and medium-sized businesses in the Denver metro area for over 19 years. Our approach is built around your business and your needs. Every business is different, and we work with our customers to create a tailored IT strategy that suits you and your budget. Call (866) 407-1284 or email us at Info@ait2022.wpengine.com.
