TechJournal, January 2022
What's New
PCSN has enjoyed immense success over the years, thanks to the business community in Houston, Texas and US.
I was thinking the other day how I came to the US in 1993 and at that time I couldn’t even have imagined the things we’ve done so far.
What’s next? Well, I think next we need to give back to the community. Over the next few months we’ll be doing webinars and seminars to give back to the business community. We’ll answer questions, feed you and arm you with some items that will impact the bottom line!
January 2022
This monthly publication provided courtesy of Nadeem Azhar, Owner of PC.Solutions.Net
Our Mission: To build a community of successful-minded entrepreneurs that inspires excellence, encourages collaboration and expands the capacity of all members to achieve great things.
3 Great IT Resolutions For The New Year
As the new year kicks off, many business owners and entrepreneurs are making their New Year’s resolutions. Most of these business owners will be focused on increasing profits or expanding growth, but it would be wise to focus on some
IT- or tech-related resolutions as
well. Making sure that you are
up-to-date on the most recent tech
and security measures can go a long way toward growing and protecting your business.
While many companies make goals or resolutions that they hope to achieve in the new year, plenty of businesses fail to meet these goals because they do not take the steps necessary to achieve them. It often takes time and determination to make these resolutions a reality, and business owners should not quit when the situations become stale or difficult.
Here are our three best IT and tech resolutions for business owners to make for the new year, and how to make sure you achieve them.
Employee Security Training And Creating A Security Safe Culture
If your employees have not had any security awareness training, you should make it your focus to ensure that everyone is informed about potential information security breaches. Research suggests that human error is involved in over 90% of security breaches. By providing security awareness training to your employees, you will teach them how to avoid mistakes that could leave the business at risk. Not only will this help your employees be more aware of security, but it will make your customers feel more comfortable
and confident when working with your company.
There are other benefits to holding security awareness training for your team, and one of the best is that you will be taking your first steps in creating a culture based around tech security. You will be introducing your team to the importance of information security, which they will effectively use to fortify your defenses. When new employees are brought in, set aside some time for them to have security awareness training so they are enveloped in the culture from day one. By putting together a plan where every employee is introduced to information security awareness, your company will be less at risk for breaches and threats made possible by human error.
Utilize A Managed Services Provider
The MSP industry has seen immense growth over the
past five years. The market was valued at over $152
billion in 2017 and is expected to rise to $257 billion by
the end of 2022. MSPs allow for predictable monthly
costs and better security practices, but they truly have a plethora of benefits.
If your computer breaks or shuts down, MSPs have the ability to not only fix it but also go above and beyond the usual tech support. Some MSPs will work with your business to understand your goals and find better ways to achieve them. MSPs are also raising their tech game. Yes,
"MSPs allow for
predictable monthly costs and better security practices, but they truly have a plethora of benefits. "
they can help with problems related to e-mail, web and file searching, but they are also available for more advanced needs, like cloud infrastructure management. If you’re still working with a basic IT service, look into using an MSP instead. They will help with your usual tech problems while also providing you with the resources needed to achieve your goals.
Back Up Your Data
Data is an essential part of any business, and it’s imperative that every business owner makes an effort to back up their data. If important files are damaged or deleted or a disaster causes your business to lose important data, data backups can prevent business interruptions. It becomes even more important when dealing with clients’ information.
Imagine that you’re a customer who has been making transactions with a business for years. They may have your address, phone number, e-mail address and sometimes even your Social Security number, but one day, you call and they no longer have your information on file. You probably wouldn’t feel too secure giving this company that information again if they already lost it the first time. This is how your clients will feel if they have to provide their information again after data loss that could have been prevented by backing up your data.
As you plan out your goals and resolutions to incorporate in 2022, don’t forget to include IT and tech goals as well. Not only will they save you money in the long run, but they will also grant you peace of mind. Make a plan, overcome any obstacles and don’t lose hope if it looks like you need more than a year to accomplish your goals.
Free Report Download:
The Business Owner’s Guide To IT Support Services And Fees
You’ll learn:
- The three most common ways IT companies charge for their services and the pros and cons of each approach.
- A common billing model that puts ALL THE RISK on you, the customer, when buying IT services; you’ll learn what it is and why you need to avoid agreeing to it.
- Exclusions, hidden fees and other “gotcha” clauses IT companies put in their contracts that you DON’T want to agree to.
- How to make sure you know exactly what you’re getting to avoid disappointment, frustration and added costs later on that you didn’t anticipate.
Claim your FREE copy today at http://bit.ly/2Q9qQbO
IT Strategy
Are you strategic with your technology implementation or tactical?
Over the years we’ve seen businesses make do with tactical IT and still get to the next level. Times are however, changing.
We are seeing less and less success in small business who don’t use IT as a strategic advantage but simply use it as a tactical item.
Let me ask you a question, when you’re choosing a lawyer or an accountant, do you go with the cheapest option? If not, why would you use the cheapest option for something that has the potential to make most impact on business and touches all aspects of business?
We are seeing strategic businesses implement projects using up and coming fields like AI and cognitive services to directly impact business.
Make sure your CIO helps form the business strategy as it related to technology.
Remember, you don’t have to know technology to make the right technological decisions. You can have the killer widget, the best people and great timing, but if your strategy is not sound your chances of success diminish considerably and probability of failure goes up.
Reimagining Your Business
The pandemic has changed the way that many small businesses operate. They have had to pivot and adapt in order to survive in a time of immense change. Many have had to implement new strategies, while some have even had to adopt a new environment. The change has not been easy for anyone.
When the pandemic first hit, many small-business owners were faced with two choices. They could wait it out and hope that everything would return to normal before long, or they could create a better future at that moment and attempt to continue to grow. Sometimes changing your marketing isn’t enough and you need to bring your business into a new light.
I have a friend named Jacob Limmer who owns Cottonwood Coffee, and he found a way to pivot his business and succeed during the pandemic. As the owner of a coffee shop business, Jacob knew that people would not be busting down his door at the beginning of the pandemic. Jacob owned two storefronts and an online store, so he knew that he would need to make some changes to survive.
He sent out a survey to his mailing list that asked what Cottonwood Coffee could offer to best support its patrons during this unprecedented time. The results came back, and it was astounding how many people requested something for “immunity.” Jacob took this idea and ran with it by creating the Immune Booster Cold Brew. This allowed his customers to still get their coffee, but with an added bonus of a healthy supplement.
Even though Jacob had to close one of his storefronts, he is seeing success because he found a way to reimagine his business. He didn’t wait around for things to get better. He took a risk that paid off and allowed him to stay in business.
If your business has faced difficulty and you’re wondering if you should pivot and make a change to stay afloat, remember that you did not get this far only to get this far. You want to continue to grow and expand your business to its full potential. In order to get there, you may have to make some necessary changes.