Running a small business is not easy and the decision makers of any small or medium sized enterprise generally have a thousand and one different things that demand their attention at any one time. That means that with limited time, resources and assistance, some things inevitably fall through the cracks, and unfortunately those things are often found in the realm of technology.
The following tech mistakes are those which are most commonly made by small businesses but which should be avoided at all costs if you want your firm to be as efficient, productive and successful as it can be.
Poor Employee Training
Anybody who has ever worked in an office will know that when it comes to IT, workers can generally carry out all of their required day-to-day tasks but outside of that are far from tech savvy. That makes sense as in order to preserve the precious resource of time, small businesses tend to provide the bare minimum of tech training to employees, so that they can spend more time actually working.
Whilst this makes sense however, it is still more often than not a potentially damaging mistake. This is the case as it can badly affect efficiency within a workplace, as employees are likely not getting the most out of software or hardware at their disposal. What’s more, it can lead to damaging and expensive tech problems arising which might have been prevented or avoided if the workforce were savvier about the technology they are using.
Neglecting Security
It is incredible how many small businesses still neglect cyber security, even in an age when stories of cybercrime, hacking and other attacks on companies are in the news on a near daily basis. Many business owners still take the view however, that such issues will probably not befall their firm and so don’t see the time, effort and expense required for proper security as being cost-efficient.
That is the very epitome of a false economy though, as if a cyberattack is targeted at a business with insufficient security it can have an absolutely catastrophic impact. The cost and difficulty of recovering from such an attack in fact, can in some cases spell the end of a company entirely. Implementing a multi-layered security strategy incorporating anti-virus software, firewalls and any other measures suitable for the business in question therefore, is simply a must.
Insufficient Backup Strategies
Another mistake intrinsically linked with the area of security, a huge number of small to medium size enterprises either do not have or fail to implement backup strategies to protect themselves against cyberattacks or simple technology failures.
Simply putting into place a method by which data can be backed up to an external hard drive, secure server or even the cloud – and crucially actually regularly doing so even when busy – is absolutely crucial and can substantially diminish the negative effects of any problems, which could otherwise be extremely expensive.
Failed Social Networking
In the business world, and especially for small businesses, anything that gets a firm’s name out there and allows customer or client engagement is hugely beneficial – especially if it can be achieved at comparatively low expenditure. That’s why, it is baffling that so many smaller enterprises neglecting social networking which can provide just that.
Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter after all, are a great way for companies to connect with and to reach customers on a daily basis and to boost their reputation. Whilst it is easy to neglect this area in favour of general administration and other tasks more intrinsically linked with the day-to-day running of a business therefore, it can really pay off to devote at least some time to this relatively low cost marketing channel.
