None of us were prepared for a worldwide pandemic to strike this year. Back in January, the vast majority of us were planning our years as usual. When it came to business, we were reviewing the year before, deciding what areas to invest our budget into, and generally looking forward to the year ahead. We couldn’t have had a clue that by March much of the world would have gone into a lockdown due to coronavirus and Covid-19. This really has been a tough year on business. Between trying to make things operate on a from-home basis (for both employees and consumers) to trying to encourage consumers to part with their cash in the lead up to a worldwide recession, many businesses have collapsed and haven’t made it. Now, chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re in charge of one of the lucky businesses to survive so far. But you’re still going to have to put a whole lot of effort into making sure your business continues to experience success, or at least stay afloat until the hard times have passed. One area you’re going to need to focus on right now is IT. Here are some key techniques you should try out to ensure that your IT doesn’t fail you during this time where it’s so crucial to your operations!
Securing Computer Networks
Usually, most businesses will operate from an office environment and you will find that all of your employees are connected to the same network, which is safe and secure. However, with most offices now out of us and the majority of staff who can work from home working on a remote basis, you may find that your staff are accessing unsecured networks, which could make your business particularly vulnerable to cyber attack. It’s absolutely essential that you use Computer Network Solutions to set up a VPN. VPN stands for virtual private network and will give your staff a means of connecting to a safe and secure network, no matter where they’re operating from.
Training Staff in Cyber Security
Cyber criminals are always learning and finding new ways to infiltrate businesses and their data. Even on a VPN, your staff could still leave you open to a data breach, which could in turn see you facing serious consequences – whether that’s fines and penalties or loss of customer or employee trust and a damaged professional reputation. It’s absolutely essential that you train your employees in all aspects of cyber security. This will ensure that they don’t fall prey to phishing emails or other scams.
Supplying Staff with Devices
By supplying staff with devices to work from at home, you can further protect your company. Staff using their own devices are much more likely to be lackadaisy with security. By providing them with a professional device for work use only, you can maximise security. You can also ensure that there is antivirus and antimalware software installed.
These are just a few aspects of tech and IT you really need to focus on right now. Making sure you manage your IT effectively really will help to protect your company, minimize negative incidents and bad publicity during already difficult times and generally help you when it comes to running your business throughout the pandemic!
(Cover Image: Pexels)