It should come as no surprise that the Internet is one of the most important tools to leverage as an entrepreneur.
Properly managing your IT obligations is essential for any business. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for companies of all types to encounter IT problems.
Listed below are some of the most notable that you need to keep an eye out for.
1. Network Security Issues
When left unhandled, network security issues can easily cause a large number of complications for any business. This is particularly true for those that operate within certain industries, such as tech or healthcare.
To elaborate, companies that operate within the healthcare space are required to adhere to the regulations imposed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). In the event that a data breach occurs due to the negligence of a particular organization, the company could face a slew of legal consequences.
In general, though, network security issues could also be financially crippling for the affected companies. This is especially true during ransomware attacks, which involve a hacker deliberately encrypting key information on a company’s servers and hardware.
So, it’s in your best interest to take as many proactive measures as possible regarding network security.
2. Subpar Data Backups
No matter what precautions you take, there’s still a chance that you may encounter a situation where you experience data loss. Without sufficient backups in place, it can be virtually impossible to recover from them.
It’s also important to understand that a proper backup involves storing key information in multiple locations in multiple formats. For instance, you may have a core archive of your company’s essential data stored both within a cloud server and within a hard drive that is kept in a secure location.
If you keep all of your backup information on a single device, you will essentially lose access to all of it if this device were to become damaged or stolen.
3. Mismanaged Data Access
In order to keep your data safe as possible, you’ll need to vigilantly manage who has access to it. Unfortunately, many organizations fail to implement policies that facilitate this level of security.
To elaborate, it may be possible for an employee of any rank to access some of the most sensitive data within an organization. As you might guess, this can lead to a large number of different complications.
Not only is it possible for employees to mismanage this data, but it would make it exceedingly easy for a member of your organization to steal sensitive information. In extreme scenarios, they could then leak this information to competitors in exchange for payment, use it to start their own business, etc.
Your organization must have a system in place that prevents situations like this from occurring.
4. Improper Employee Training
Data access isn’t the only employee-related complication that can occur when it comes to IT problems. If your employees are not properly trained in securing or working with certain information, a data breach can easily occur.
In context, this could involve an employee making the password to their company account or email something that is easy to guess. Similarly, they may transfer data to unauthorized users or send information over unsecured networks.
While these situations aren’t always guaranteed to result in a data breach, they exponentially increase the chances of one occurring.
By implementing a proper employee training program, however, you can avoid many of the issues associated with the way members of your organization handle data. Since new security threats are always emerging, it’s imperative that you assess your current training program multiple times per year.
Otherwise, you may be integrating strategies that are no longer effective against the dangers you face today.
5. Use of Outdated Technology
There’s a reason why the vast majority of software developers constantly push updates to the software that they create. This is simply due to the fact that changes will have to be made to existing software in order for them to be as effective as possible against emerging threats.
However, using outdated software is a surefire way to put your entire organization at risk of a data breach.
This is true even among different iterations of the same version of a particular program.
For instance, an application that your organization uses on daily basis may have a current version of 13.1.2. Using 13.1.0 could allow cybercriminals to take advantage of an exploit within the application.
While this isn’t overly common, even a single data breach could be catastrophic for your business.
This is particularly true if it results in extended downtime, something that causes your company to bleed large amounts of revenue until the problem is resolved.
6. Foregoing the Opportunity to Work With a Professional
Although smaller businesses may have a dedicated IT team that handles these obligations internally, it often makes much more sense to outsource to professionals.
Doing so will allow you to take advantage of the most contemporary software and hardware. You also have access to a team of professionals who can assess any security vulnerabilities within your organization or help you improve upon areas that could be more efficient.
Overcoming IT Problems Might Seem Difficult
Having a strong understanding of the IT problems that you may face, however, will help you deal with them in the future. Working with a professional will help ensure that these issues aren’t able to negatively impact your organization, allowing you to navigate them with ease.
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