2020. Just saying it makes me wonder at how far technology has come in the last decade and how far it will go in the next. Although we rely on technology more than ever, business success ultimately lies with our people – our team members.
Both cybersecurity and cloud technologies headline most technology conversations these days. Leveraging innovative solutions to help you conduct business efficiently and securely will continue to be Silverado’s top goal in 2020.
I believe the key to cybersecurity in 2020 and beyond is education. Technology is far more than the newest app or tool. More importantly, we all need to stay abreast of the latest technology and security best practices. We recommend training your team on cybersecurity best practices when they come on board and then with refreshers at least once a year, along with testing throughout the year.
People represent a very important part of a layered security approach. Often, employees are your first line of defense against hacking attempts like phishing and vishing. Social engineering exploits human psychology to trick users into opening and clicking fake emails designed to gain access to your network or your data. Hackers don’t know what kind of firewall or antivirus you have in place, but they can be certain of one weakness at every business they attack: people. Make a commitment right now to educate, train and test your employees to protect your company.
The second part of protecting your company is to have a solid acceptable use policy – or AUP – in place stating how employees are allowed to use company devices and data. Silverado Technologies works with small and mid-sized businesses to develop policies for technology and users. As a managed service provider (MSP), Silverado guides you on how technology can help you achieve your business goals. Often, smaller, in-house IT staff depend upon our team of technology professionals to help them stay on top of current trends and threats.
Why Partner with an MSP?
Technology is complicated and, over the next 10 years, it’s only going to get more so. To keep your systems efficient, safe and secure, you may want to take advantage of the depth and breadth of knowledge the Silverado team offers. It will free your people up to focus on what they do best – run your business. We’ll make sure the technology they need to do that is running smoothly.
These are my top 5 reasons for recommending that you partner with an MSP:
- Focus on core business competencies instead of IT. When your staff has to troubleshoot IT problems for themselves, they cannot focus on their real jobs. You, too, may be distracted by IT if issues are recurring and employees are unhappy. Whether you manufacture products or provide services, IT is not your job. It’s ours.
- Reduce regulatory and compliance risks. An MSP team of technology professionals properly sets up and documents your IT systems to ensure you are compliant with applicable regulations.
- Decrease outages and downtime costs. Because an MSP continually monitors and maintains your technology systems, outages and downtime are reduced significantly. Our unwavering commitment to deliver exceptional service means your systems are ready and available when you need them.
- Drive business growth and profitability with the right technology. Choosing the right network server or security solution for your business is more complicated than a trip to Best Buy. Your MSP partner researches and tests the best solutions to fit your specific business needs.
- Increase operational efficiencies. Because an MSP has experience with many types of businesses and industries - along with highly trained IT professionals - your IT operations are designed to be efficient and scale with you.
And, Don’t Forget the Cloud…
Expect to see continued pressure from application vendors to move more of your IT systems to the cloud in 2020 and going forward into the decade. Microsoft is leading the way for application vendors to develop more and more cloud-based products. Microsoft has already stated that Windows 10 will go end of life in 2025, with a significant reduction in support.
The bottom line is traditional client-server applications and support are going to be less and less available. Meanwhile, application developers are moving toward cloud-hosted options that offer flexibility and other attractive benefits to businesses. Office 365, for instance, includes multiple applications like Microsoft’s mainstays Word, Excel and Outlook, as well as newer tools like Teams.
As a small business, we understand business. We get it. Let our team help your team succeed in 2020 – call us at 520.289.8331 to schedule a complimentary IT consultation.
