5 IT Recommendations to Reduce Downtime
Make sure your technology is meeting your needs and driving your business growth by reading our Top 5 IT Recommendations.Strong performing IT is a key contributor to productivity, efficiency and competitive advantage. To get the most from your technology, we’ve collated a list of our top 5 IT recommendations to reduce downtime.
1. Strengthen your Cybersecurity
The biggest challenge for all businesses, regardless of their size, is strengthening their cyber security. If you still have staff working remotely, this introduces a new set of security risks. We strongly recommend a multifaceted approach to securing your systems. This includes the following:
- Secure your endpoints
- Secure your remote working
- Implement two-factor authentication
- Protect against ransomware
- Increase your email security
- Educate your employees
- Become Cyber Essentials certified
Putting steps in place to strengthen your cyber security and protect your business now can avoid future downtime, reputational damage, data loss or fines.
2. Back up regularly
Establish a robust and secure backup system. Regular backups provide more recovery points and ensure your data remains up to date. As a minimum, we recommend daily backups. This will protect all sensitive information in case of cyberattacks, data loss, or any other kind of damage. Encourage your remote workers to backup data frequently so that a lost device doesn’t mean lost data. Cloud storage services such as OneDrive help ensure data is up to date and are accessible from anywhere, while also being secure. Finally, we recommend automating your backup process to reduce the risk of data loss from a missed backup and regularly testing your backups to ensure your data can be successfully retrieved.
3. Update your software and patches
Up-to-date software and hardware is less prone to failure, more resistant to cyber-attack and can increase productivity. Software updates not only introduce new features but help protect your computing environment from viruses and malware. Patches are pieces of software that update either operating systems or individual software programs. They are designed to add new features, remove outdated features, deliver bug fixes and most importantly, fix security holes. The longer you wait to install these patch updates, the greater the risk of targeted malware attacks. This is because cybercriminals exploit the identified vulnerabilities to breach your data. Whilst software update notifications may seem like a nuisance, they are a key preventative measure for your network security. Therefore, next time a message appears, rather than hitting ‘remind later’, consider the ‘install now’ button. If you are using hardware or software that has reached “end of life”, it is really important that you upgrade. This technology is no longer supported by the manufacturer and will not receive critical security patches and updates, making you vulnerable to a security breach. You are also less likely to be compliant with industry and government regulations for data protection.
4. Integrate your data
In today’s complex data landscape, ensuring your data is connected and accessible across applications is essential. This reduces the time employees spend looking for information, improves decision making and increases productivity. Some of the benefits include:
- Getting the information you need in the application you’re already using
- Avoiding switching from one application to another
- Working free from silos
- Being more productive by accessing documents faster
- Having up-to-date and accessible data across all your applications
By integrating your systems, information flows seamlessly through your organisation, giving you a holistic view of your business. It also increases your productivity and efficiency. As a result, you can maximise your revenues which can then be invested into growing your business. Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 are great for this because they integrate seamlessly.
5. Proactively manage your systems
Adopting a more proactive approach to your IT support can improve the performance, reliability and security of your systems. By proactively monitoring and managing your systems, you can detect and resolve issues before they impact your business. This can be much more cost effective than a Break-Fix IT support model. We strongly recommend engaging with an IT company who offers Managed IT Support Services to give you that peace of mind.
Summary
A recent survey showed 35% of UK employees waste at least 1 hour per week tackling software-related issues. Minimise your downtime by making sure you have covered our recommendations above. They will help ensure you have access to reliable, accessible and secure systems. This in turn will save you time, streamline your operations and allow you to focus on running your business. Contact us for more information on the recommendations above or to discuss your IT systems in general. We’d love to hear from you!
