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Five IT Questions Every Small Business Owner Needs to Ask

Its easy to overlook the technology that enables your business when you are busy doing business!  Here are five critical things we ask during an Initial Consult for you to think about.

  1. Data – do you know what data your business depends on?  It can take many forms; financial (think QuickBooks), customer records, photos and scanned documents, websites, emails, inventory, etc.  Now – do you know WHERE this data is stored?  You would be surprised how many businesses don’t have a solid answer to this question.  How can you protect your data if you don’t know where it is?  Make a list!
  2. Backups – are you backing up all of your data?  Are you SURE?  There needs to be a RECENT copy of everything in Question #1 somewhere safe and accessible.  That does not mean a USB drive in your desk drawer.  There are lots of inexpensive data backup options.  For instance, a USB drive in your safety deposit box at the bank is a great solution.  Even better is storing your data in the cloud and letting someone else ensure backups get done on a regular basis.
  3. Passwords and Security – do you have a copy of ALL of your passwords in a safe place?  A notebook in your locked safe or safety deposit box is a great idea.  Don’t use stupid passwords like “123456”.  Think I’m kidding?  See if one of your passwords is on this list: https://nordpass.com/most-common-passwords-list/.  Passphrases make fantastic and easy to remember passwords…ask us about how to create them.
  4. Websites and Social Media – the secret to both websites and social media are keeping them updated with interesting content.  Keep it fresh!  We can manage and maintain your website; you create the content and we’ll update it for you.  And ensure it’s backed up, help with improving your hits on Google and other search engines, and provide traffic analysis.
  5. Cloud Services – are you running your business on an old Dell server tucked in the back closet?  Move your business to the cloud.  We can help migrate you to Microsoft 365, Azure, AWS, or other cloud providers.  It’s 2021, having on-premises infrastructure is obsolete.  Also, a cloud-based solution facilitates working remotely when it makes sense.