Common IT mistakes that small businesses make and how to solve them

Small businesses often use IT without really understanding how it all works. This can result in SMEs making simple, avoidable mistakes potentially with serious consequences. Here is a guide to some of the common ones and how they can be avoided.

Not grasping the importance of hardware

Your hardware determines what operating system you can run. It, therefore, plays a crucial role in maintaining your IT security. Probably the most infamous example of what this can mean in practice is the WannaCry attack of 2017. This attacked computers running Windows XP and unpatched versions of Windows 7.

While this example is from the world of traditional computing, exactly the same principle applies to mobile devices. As your hardware ages, it becomes incapable of supporting the demands of modern versions of iOS and Android. This leaves you vulnerable to security issues.

The way to deal with this mistake is simply to commit to upgrading your hardware regularly. Currently, upgrading every three or four years is widely viewed as the “sweet spot” between security and maximizing the return on your investment.

Not managing your power supply

Ideally, you should have both a backup power supply and surge protectors. If you can’t run a generator (or another backup power source), then the simplest option is to use devices with batteries. You can keep them plugged in to conserve the battery as much as possible. You will, however, still have a plan B to deal with power outages.

Power surges have the potential literally to destroy IT equipment beyond repair. It is, however, easy to protect against them by using surge protectors.

Not doing proper IT housekeeping

There are four key jobs that need to be actively managed for companies to keep their IT systems robust, safe and legal. These are updates, licence management, access management, and backup management.

Updates apply to firmware, operating systems, apps, extensions and plugins. You don’t usually need to update third-party cloud apps. The vendor will typically do that. You may, however, need to update any integrations you have with them.

Managing updates can be a huge challenge for small businesses. On the one hand, you generally want to apply them as quickly as possible. On the other hand, it’s strongly advisable to test updates thoroughly before installation to avoid them creating further problems. You also need to have a plan of action if they do create issues.

Licence management basically means ensuring that you have the legal right to use your apps. This can be more complicated than it sounds, particularly now that so many software vendors use a “freemium” pricing model. Some vendors may only allow consumers to use the free version of their products but businesses may not be aware of this.

Access controls and backups are essential to maintaining the security and integrity of your data. These days backups need to be stored encrypted (at least sensitive data does) to ensure that it’s protected even if your defences are breached.

This all takes time and a certain level of technical knowledge. Therefore, the easiest way for SMEs to manage it is to outsource it to a managed IT services company.

Not implementing sufficient IT security

Effective IT housekeeping is the foundation for all IT security. This does, however, need to be supplemented by further protection (in the form of software and training) and constant monitoring by skilled professionals. What’s more, you need to have the expertise to know how to respond (and how not to respond) if you do come under attack.

Again, therefore, the easiest way for SMEs to manage this is to outsource it to a managed IT services company.

Not training your staff

Cyber attackers are increasingly moving away from “spray-and-pray” tactics and towards social engineering. This means that you need to train staff to recognize social-engineering attacks. There are plenty of options for doing this many of them are available at a very reasonable cost.

Author Bio

Luke Watts is the director of RoundWorks IT, which are specialists in managed IT services, including, backup and disaster recovery, cyber security and more for businesses across East Midlands.