It’s a new year and the start of a new decade. Even if you think you’re fine and up to date, it never hurts to re-assess how well you’re both serving and protecting your customers. Read more! Staying current on best practices for business technology is a great way to stay competitive and demonstrate to your customers that you prioritize efficiency and security. Here are some tips to ensure your business stays ahead of the curve on the tech front. 1. High-Speed Internet Is The Lifeline Of Any Business This seems obvious, but businesses today must have a reliable Internet connection. Learn more! With the speeds and capabilities that their day-to-day operations require. Business apps and software are increasingly hosted online. Rather than installing on a desktop or laptop computer. Unreliable Internet service means lots of hidden costs and hours of added stress. Plus, if you own a brick-and-mortar business, more consumers expect businesses to provide complimentary WiFi access as part of the customer experience. 2. Have A Separate Wifi Connection For Customers Any brick-and-mortar business today knows customers want WiFi access, whether you’re a restaurant, doctor’s office, or boutique hotel. However, allowing the general public to log on to your company’s WiFi network could pose a serious risk. 3. Educate Your Employees About Good Cybersecurity Practices The most common cause of data breaches is human error. Read more! Plain and simple—64 percent of security events in 2018 were caused by employee, vendor, or contractor errors. Even the most tech-savvy employees could bring their own personal devices onto your network or make a mistake that puts your network at risk. The best way to defend against this type of unintentional negligence is by educating employees about the different types of security threats (viruses, malware, phishing, etc.). How to identify them, and protocols for escalating suspicious emails and requests. Communicate requirements for dealing with sensitive customer information at the time of new hire training. To ensure your cybersecurity training sticks, you may have to make it engaging but brief enough not to overwhelm your employees. Additionally, you may need to secure your official apps and software with the help of a firm that provides application security services. 4. Keep An Inventory Of Who Can Log In To Your Network Take an inventory of who has access to your company’s network—it’s likely more people than you think. When an employee leaves the company, immediately withdraw their login credentials for any company device. You may also want to consider changing your passwords and investing in cybersecurity tools that keep your company’s information safe. 5. Backup In The Cloud, Give Yourself And Employees More Security And Flexibility 96 percent of IT professionals surveyed in the RightScale 2018 State of the Cloud Report said their companies were using cloud computing services. A cloud service not only provides more protection, efficiency, and flexibility for business owners but also provides employees the ability to access work files using multiple devices and locations, because the data is housed over the cloud network. It also promotes collaboration allowing multiple users to access the same files at the same time, which is very helpful in project scenarios. You can consider a hosted private cloud for your company data and operations, which can help keep it fast and secure, as well as prevent unauthorized access to your files/devices/networks. This time of year, many people make resolutions for their personal lives. But if you are an entrepreneur it is important to also focus on attainable goals that will advance and protect your business. Adopting the latest tech best practices and protecting sensitive data not only keeps your business strong—it greatly reinforces the trust your customers place in you.