TechJournal, August 2020
What's New
As we navigate uncharted territory in these stormy seas, the pirates are getting ever more brazen in their attacks!
In my talks with business owners, the common theme is security and how businesses can protect their most vital assets, their intellectual property!
Keeping this in mind we have made a few deals together with a few third parties and we now have a part tech, part financial solution all wrapped up with automation!
Call 281-402-2620 to find out what this is and how it can be a lifeline to your business!
August 2020
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.
Why NOT Investing In IT Can Cost You BIG
If you haven’t invested in IT security, then your business is at risk.
These days, it’s easy to take technology for granted. It just seems like everything works so well. If things are working well, why spend more on things like data monitoring or secure cloud storage?
Here’s a startling fact: a lot of business owners take this approach to network security. They might think, “This will never happen to me,” when it comes to data breaches, malware and hacker attacks. While they might be great at running their businesses, they may end up skimping on their IT security.
They see it as something they simply don’t need to invest in. But a lot of business owners end up paying big
because they aren’t serious enough about IT security. A simple virus scan app or firewall just isn’t enough. Hackers and cybercriminals are relentless.
Here’s another startling fact: threats like data breaches, malware and hacker attacks are a lot closer than you think. When you go cheap with your network security or don’t work with an experienced IT services company, it can end up costing you big in the long run.
A lot of business owners skip out on things like network security, cloud backup, data protection and data monitoring because they don’t like the up-front cost or another monthly bill. In reality, while you can expect an ongoing cost, working with a managed IT services firm can be
remarkably cost-effective (and smart!).
When your network security solutions are running smoothly, you won’t know it. It all happens in the background. But because it’s not something you “see” on a daily basis, you might wonder if you’re really getting your money’s worth. This can be a challenge for business owners who may want to see tangible results for something they pay for. The good news is that you can get tangible results!
Many IT services firms let businesses customize their reporting. You can actually get daily, weekly or monthly reports from your IT security company! You can see exactly what they’re doing for your business and the exact threats they’re protecting you from.
More than that, a good IT services company is going to work closely with you. They’ll provide you with the information, resources and tools you need in order to focus on your customers and the successes of your business. They’ll educate you and your team and help you identify the best technology for your needs. That’s the definition of peace of mind!
Here’s why it can be so costly to NOT invest in IT security:
Scenario 1: Imagine you’re hit with a malware attack, and it takes your network out of commission. Customer data is at risk, and your business comes to a
"When your network security solutions are running smoothly, you won’t know it."
screeching halt. You have to call in IT experts to fix the problem ASAP. This is a break-fix approach to IT services.
In this event, you’re going to be charged BIG to get your business up and running again. The IT specialists will have to scrub your network and make sure everything can be recovered. Not only do you have to pay to get your network cleaned, but your cash flow also takes a hit while you wait around to get everything fixed.
Scenario 2: You’re hit by a data breach. Hackers are looking for information they can exploit, such as credit card numbers, passwords and other identifying information. They often sell this information to other cybercriminals. In almost every case, this information CANNOT be recovered. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
This means you have to take action FAST to make sure stolen information cannot be used. This includes changing credit card information and updating passwords. In the event of a data breach, the sooner you inform your customers, the better. But this is a double-edged sword. Your customers need to know so they can protect themselves. At the same time, your customers may lose faith in you because you put their data at risk.
These are just two examples out of many. When you don’t take IT security seriously or you’re cheap with your technology, it can end up costing you BIG in the end. Work with an IT security company that will work with you to protect your business the right way – and help you avoid scenarios just like these.
Free Report: What Every Small-Business Owner Must Know About Protecting And Preserving Their Company’s Critical Data And Computer Systems
This report will outline in plain, nontechnical English the common mistakes that many small-business owners make with their computer networks that cost them thousands in lost sales, productivity and computer repair bills, and will provide an easy, proven way to reduce or completely eliminate the financial expense and frustration caused by these oversights.
Download your FREE copy today at
http://bit.ly/2QjuE6N
or call our office at 281-402-2620
Weakest Link
Do you know the weakest link in the chain of IT infrastructure? Okay, yeah it’s the human but the one thing that we overlook when it comes to protection that the bad guys are targeting more in these times is the user desktop.
We are protecting email and other accounts with multi factor authentication but how come we are not thinking about protecting the users desktop with the same level of security?
We seen proofs of how easy it is to get access to a users machine and in under 1 minute (less than the time it takes to grab a cup of coffee from counter) a machine can be compromised to log all keystrokes. This means game over.
Every decision maker should be thinking about policies and technology to protect the user machine, whether it’s a laptop or a desktop. Even users personal machines need to be protected as these may be the gateways to company owned machines and information.
We have the technology, it’s easy, simple and doesn’t even cost a fraction of the cost of a breach. Reach out to myself or Mack at 281-402-2620 to find out more.
Do You Have A ‘Ninja’ Executive Assistant?
Joshua Bell is a world-renowned American violinist who made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 17 and now performs with the world’s premier orchestras and conductors. His talent causes concertgoers to flock to the greatest concert halls in the world where the average seat costs $100 and front-row seats are in the thousands.
The Washington Post newspaper set up an impromptu concert with Bell as an experiment on perception and priorities. Would people in a hurry recognize the brilliance of this musician, even though he was dressed in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a baseball cap? Would the beauty of his music transcend the moment and cause them to pause and enjoy this incredible talent in the busy train station in Washington, DC? Would priorities take precedence over listening to an international virtuoso who had recently won the Avery Fisher Prize as the best classical musician in America?
The only thing that was exceptional to see for those who passed by Bell that day was the $3.5 million Stradivarius violin he was playing (made in 1713). But to those who saw him playing, it just looked like a regular old violin. The “package,” the perception of the concert, didn’t draw people’s attention, even though the talent was exceptional. There was no advertising, no fanfare, no hype, no fancy clothes, no amazing concert hall or fabulous stage – it was just some guy in a baseball cap, standing up against a wall with his violin case open to receive donations.
Could a man who is paid $1,000 per minute to perform, a man who was playing the music of Bach, Brahms, Ponce and Massenet, get their
attention? Not really. The three-minute video will show you that 1,097 people passed by. Only 27 people put money in his violin case as they walked by, and of those 27, only seven of them paused for a moment to listen. Bell made $32.17 in 43 minutes of playing. There was NO applause or acknowledgement of his skill … a skill that, three days prior to this experiment, had drawn people to completely fill Boston’s Symphony Hall.
See Bell playing at the Metro at YouTube.com/watch?v=LZeSZFYCNRw.
The point I am trying to make is that packaging is critical. When you are making a presentation to your client, boss or peers, you can never forget that. You may have all the data and skills to make the presentation, but if you want to stand out, then pay attention to how it is packaged. Perception isn’t everything, but it helps. As the experiment with Bell proves, it takes a lot more than just talent to get their attention.
Author Terry Goodkind once said, “Reality is irrelevant; perception is everything.” If a person doesn’t perceive the value, then to them, it’s not valuable. Good packaging elevates the perception of value.
Robert Stevenson is one of the most widely recognized professional speakers in the world. Author of the books How To Soar Like An Eagle In A World Full Of Turkeys and 52 Essential Habits For Success, he’s shared the podium with esteemed figures from across the country, including former President George H.W. Bush, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Tony Robbins, Tom Peters and Stephen Covey. Today, he travels the world, sharing powerful ideas for achieving excellence, both personally and professionally.
Don’t Overlook This 1 HUGE Issue In Your Company
Is it possible to communicate too much? Yes! In a report from GuideSpark, researchers found that the average employee receives about nine e-mails every day that are labeled as “must-read,” which means these e-mails are relevant to their day. These are mixed in with less relevant e-mails, and that causes a lot of clutter.
This is just one form of communication we deal with every day. Add in face-to-face, phone and text communication, and it really piles up. It becomes a communication overload.
Communication overload destroys productivity. E-mails take time to read and to respond to. When your in-box becomes full, you’re looking at a large part of the day.
How do you fix this? Prioritize your messages. Use e-mail as efficiently as possible and keep it short. Avoid sending company-wide e-mails if they aren’t relevant to everyone. Target e-mails to the people who need that information. Also, if employees are getting outside e-mails that have zero relevancy, unsubscribe from those sources. Small Business Trends, May 12, 2020