Have you been thinking about how to modernise your small- or medium-sized business? There are tools and apps available today to streamline business operations that didn’t exist five or ten years ago. Your competition may already be taking advantage of some of these tools, and your company could miss out on precious opportunities by lagging behind.
Adopting these tools will help your business to run more productively and efficiently, improve collaboration and innovation, and lay the foundations for sustainable growth into the future.
Technology has been moving and changing so fast in recent years that it can feel like a never-ending race to keep up, but when you look at new technologies as an opportunity to grow and change, you can take advantage of the very best the modern world has to offer. Let’s get started.
Improve Your Security
Data security is critical for small- and medium-sized businesses, and an important consideration when adopting new technology in the workplace.
Because smaller businesses don’t always have robust data security departments, they are often the targets of hackers. In fact, the 2017 Official Annual Cybercrime Report predicts that cybercrime will cost the world $6 trillion by 2021. That’s a broad statistic, but this crime hits particularly close to home for smaller businesses. When it comes to malware attacks, 58% are directed at small businesses. What can you do to protect your business from this threat?
Modernising your systems is an important step in increasing your security. Here’s an example. The number one way hackers get into small businesses is by sending malware-laden email attachments to their targets. But you can avoid this problem by using encrypted file-sharing software instead of sending important business documents through email. This allows you to manage document permissions and leverage the security capabilities of your cloud provider.
Another benefit to using file-sharing software is that everything stays organised in one accessible place. Your employees don’t have to go sifting through their email for the last update to a document.
{{cta(‘7ecfc75b-7555-4976-8b85-b66a0bc61146’)}}
Convert to the Cloud
Adopting cloud computing is one of the easiest and most significant ways to modernise your business. Cloud computing is incredibly easy to scale, manage and customise and empowers your business with efficient systems and flexibility.
Other benefits of the cloud include:
- Regular and automatic updates
- No hardware costs
- Unmatched collaboration and document sharing
- Secure remote working capabilities
- Permissions management and user controls
- Reduced environmental footprint
Allow for Flexible Working
With today’s technology, it’s no longer necessary to have one physical work environment. Using technology like video conferencing software to empower flexible working makes your business more flexible and dynamic.
Some people can work from remote locations while still being essential and accessible members of the team. Via video conferencing, your employees can have face-to-face meetings with each other and with you, no matter where they’re working. You can also hire and manage employees who live and work in different countries, opening up your team to invaluable international experience and fresh perspectives.
By incorporating these measures;
- increasing your security
- converting to the cloud
- allowing for flexible working
your SMB can become a modern workplace and take advantage of the many benefits available through today’s technology.