Consider these 5 News Year’s tech resolutions so you can start your year off with a safe start!
Every year millions of people around the world make resolutions – setting goals that can be either achievable or completely unrealistic. Regardless of the attainability of these goals, many of us break our resolutions by… well… now. If you’ve already lost track of some of your resolutions, haven’t achieved them as successfully as you would like, found them to be much easier than you had anticipated, or just didn’t set any in the first place, it seems like as good a time as ever to go ahead and look at some new, achievable goals for your business. Don’t limit your growth to the obvious commitments to eat salad, visit the gym, call your parents more, or save for that kitchen remodel you’ve been dreaming of.
Since New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be just about self-improvement, what can you do to make New Year’s tech resolutions for your business?
It’s easy to say that the beginning of the year is an inconvenient time to start working through these things. If your financial year ends in December, then January is usually very busy, but whether your year just ended or not, taking the time to set goals can make sure your IT will be successful all year.
1. Resolve to learn your current IT setup.
If you aren’t in charge of your IT, but you oversee your business finances or overall management, take time to review these resolutions, as you might not be aware of every possible element of your current setup. If you’re in charge of the IT, but there are other departments that choose how they implement software, do an audit of what is in use.
When doing this audit of your current IT setup, be sure to review everything. Check both individual and corporate hardware, software, networking, applications, and integrations. You want to make sure you’re using what you pay for, and that what you pay for meets basic corporate security policies.
(If you don’t have basic corporate security policies, such as multi-factor authentication, etc., resolve to get these in place, too.)
Keep in mind that any proprietary or industry-specific elements of your setup might not be mentioned here. You know better than I do what your business needs. Take the time to figure out what you’re using (and better yet, document it so you know next month, quarter, or year what it is you need to check).
It’s tempting to let it end there, especially if you are renting space where you don’t directly manage your own physical security. But go the extra mile and make sure that any physical security you utilize is up to snuff. Check that access control hardware and software are working. Make sure only those who should have access are able to enter the building or specific rooms that house business-critical systems.
2. Resolve to do a security health check.
If you have no idea where to start with this resolution, we can help. If you just need some direction, maybe start with these ideas
- Use a Dark Web scanner to check if the company credentials of any of your employees have been compromised.
- Run an Email Security Assessment to determine if the security settings on your email tenant are appropriately configured and functioning properly.
- Use a service to run a Phishing Campaign to find any employees that may be susceptible to these scams and offer training to avoid falling for these scams in the future.
Health checks are a critical part of security, and yet many companies have no idea where to start. If this is you, call us today, and we can help you get started. Run these scans and start the new year right!
3. Resolve to learn about the latest technology.
I will never be the kind of person to tell you that you have to get a new phone, or computer every time a new model is released. That doesn’t work for my personal budget, and, while I assume that is the case for many of your businesses as well, there is a benefit to knowing how technology is changing. If you don’t know what’s happening with both hardware, software, ideas, and structure it becomes increasingly difficult to anticipate the myriad ways in which your security might be behind.
Spend some time this year and do a little bit of research from credible sources about how you can future-proof your IT investments. If you’re not familiar with any credible sources, my team recommends utilizing LinkedIn as a springboard. There are groups and posts that can get your research off to a good start.
4. Resolve to move to the cloud.
If your business hasn’t already researched the best way to migrate to the cloud, you’re probably behind the 8 ball. Moving to the cloud is more than just getting a few apps or purchasing some software. Implementing a cloud strategy is one of the most effective ways to both protect your data and any compliance requirements your business might be subject to.
Utilizing cloud computing for all your IT needs will reduce the time and energy you have to put into managing your business data and by choosing reliable, secure cloud partners, you will also have improved security and accessibility to data.
5. Resolve to create a cadence.
Checking one time is a good start, but if you’re ready to take the next step, make a plan. Schedule a regular cadence at which you will perform a health check on your cybersecurity, research new software, check on your current IT setup, and assess your current cloud strategy.
Performing these tasks regularly will mean you’re not chasing your tail every time a breach occurs. Implementing the correct software and regularly checking your security will both build confidence that you know what’s going on with your security and reduce the risk of security breaches occurring in the first place.
The Takeaway
While we can help you out with many of these items and are more than happy to work with your business to ensure you can keep your business IT resolutions, this isn’t exclusively a self-serving sales pitch. Collective security improvement serves all business IT users. As we create more security-conscious businesses, we are better able to protect our customers, colleagues, and business communities.
Talk to us about how we can find you a solution that is Simple. Convenient. Secure.
If you still have questions about how to be safer with your tech this year, you can contact us at learnmore@greatservice.com or fill out our contact us form.
