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By the DynaSis Team

For many small and midsized business owners, cybersecurity is a maze with no apparent exit. Bad news arrives daily, and “recommended” or “best practices” solutions can differ from one IT solutions provider to the next. As a managed IT services firm that helps companies navigate this maze on a daily basis, we understand how confusing cybersecurity can be. Even so, that doesn’t mean business owners can afford to ignore the threat landscape and hope it will go away. It won’t.

Last week, we read the annual Data Breach Digest from Verizon, an incident report that identifies cyberattack trends. To pinpoint the trend lines, a team of investigators explored more than 500 cybersecurity incidents from 2015 and then analyzed them with data from the two previous years.

Some of the results were unsettling, to say the least.

• Human error is still responsible for a large percentage of data breaches (30% over the past three years). Among breaches caused by human error, phishing (spoofed emails or websites that look real, to which users respond and become infected) accounted for 72% of those breaches.
• Initial compromise is happening the same ways it has for a decade, including email, social media, and infected thumb (USB) drives.
• Perhaps most disturbing, the report found that 80% of all data breaches--even those not officially assigned to human error--involve exploitation of stolen, weak, default or easily guessable passwords.

Since the dawn of corporate computing, experts have been urging companies to require secure passwords—and to teach employees how to keep them safe. The fact that 80% of breaches involve compromised passwords surprised even us.

Human gullibility will never be eliminated, which is why cybercriminals rely upon it. However, organizations can teach employees how to recognize danger—and avoid giving into their gullible natures.

In addition, requiring strong passwords throughout the organization is one of the single easiest steps a business owner can take to secure his firm and its assets. Even if you don’t think you can afford an advanced threat detection and mitigation solution or don’t have the time to conduct a “safe IT practices” training session for personnel, it is business suicide not to enact and enforce a password policy.

If you do not have a password policy, we urge you to create one, now. Issue a memo about passwords with a deadline, and identify a trusted management or IT staffer to follow up and ensure compliance. To get workers excited, sponsor a contest, and offer a gift certificate or other perk to the person with the best password and the one that reaches compliance first.

To help you get started, here are a few pointers:

• Passwords must contain at least eight characters; 14 is even better.
• Passwords must not contain the user name or parts of the user’s full name, such as a first name.
• Passwords must use at least three of the four available character types: lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers and symbols.
• Passwords must be changed at least every 90 days, and personnel should receive a task reminder via email, calendar, etc. that won’t go away until they confirm completion.
• Passwords for company resources must not be shared with anyone—even other employees—not should they be transmitted to other devices via email or other method “for safekeeping” or any other reason.
• The firm should have a written, enforced policy that states failure to adhere to password guidelines may result in termination.

Many data storage solutions incorporate strict password policies, and a number of affordable security solutions police them. After you get everyone on board with password management, consider working with an IT consulting or IT support firm to adopt a technology-based enforcement mechanism. It will pay for itself, quickly.

DynaSis has been Atlanta’s premier IT support services provider for more than 23 years. As an IT company working with small to midsized businesses (10 to 150+ users), DynaSis has developed a unique 12-layer approach to network threat protection, ransomware prevention and crypto virus threat elimination. The DynaSis Business Cloud functions through a highly secure environment with full real-time data backup. Please contact us at 678.218.1769 or visit our website at www.DynaSis.com.

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By the DynaSis Team

We have watched with interest what could be called “Storage Wars: Cloud Edition.” In this production, treasure hunters aren’t trying to outbid each other for locked storage containers. Instead, companies are working to figure out how the cloud can help them store and access files for better productivity and mobility. Although the cloud can be powerful for many reasons, one of its greatest benefits is its “anytime, anywhere” nature, which enables remote file access, transfer, storage and backup for personnel using any device with an Internet connection.

Despite this fact, there is no consensus among business decision makers about cloud storage solutions. Adoption of the big mass-marketed services—Dropbox, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive—is nearly evenly split (Dropbox leads, at 33%). However, many firms are uncertain if they should trust these services and don’t know if there are other, potentially better, choices.

Here is the scoop: There are numerous options for cloud storage, including custom solutions developed and administered by IT services firms. Some but certainly not all of these are more flexible, intuitive and/or configurable IT solutions than these “Big Three.” Many organizational leaders might assume that all these solutions are similar and use the same basic setup and logic, but that is not true. They differ in cost, security, ease of use, operating design and other variables. As a result, the search for a storage solution can be complicated and should be thorough.

Storage Selection Should Not Be Taken Lightly

Even apparently minor differences can make it more likely that one service creates greater risk exposure than another. File sharing is a prime example. Windows has a built-in mechanism for file sharing that, while not exactly easy to use, optimizes sharing for security over convenience. In short, only administrator-level owners of a folder can configure sharing, and they also decide who can access the folder—and what actions they can take with it.

One of the “Big Three,” which we won’t name, does not work that way for all versions. Its “business” solution has fairly robust sharing controls. However, its “basic” version handles sharing in a messy, risky fashion.

In this version, the folder’s owner (the effective administrator) does not have the ability to customize access. Anyone given access can share the folder with anyone else for viewing or even editing. Those users can take actions, such as moving folders that they do not own, that have serious ramifications. A simple drag and drop action, for example, can automatically break the connections that support folder sharing and synchronizing (populating file changes to all shared members) and no one is the wiser. Undoing the action does not fix the problem, and resending sharing invitations does not repair the synchronization damage.

Yet, 78% of employees in a corporate survey admitted using this version of the service outside of IT approval—and many businesses adopt it organizationally as a low-cost storage solution.

Decision Time

In summary, methodologies for sharing, as well as two other “S Words,” security and synchronization, are very important aspects of file storage. Unless they are configured effectively, they can put corporate assets at risk, not only of data theft but also of damage or loss—a function of data protection, which we talked about last week.  As a result, we urge organizations to work with a reputable IT consulting or IT support company to evaluate, determine and configure the most appropriate storage solution. We don’t have room to provide specific recommendations now, but we’d be happy to “share” them with anyone who gives us a call.

DynaSis is an Atlanta IT services and cloud computing provider for small and midsized businesses. All of our solutions focus on helping companies achieve the three fundamental IT necessities of the modern business—availability, security and mobility. We specialize in on-demand and on-premises managed IT services, managed cloud infrastructure, desktops and backups, and professional hardware and equipment installation. For more information about DynaSis’ IT support and services, visit www.dynasis.com.

By the DynaSis Team

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We have been fans of cloud computing for quite some time, and many of our discussions relate to its value, its growth and its outlook. Last week, we came across a recent article, from Computer Business Review, that does a good job of summing up several of its most fundamental benefits. In a nutshell, the article cites five top benefits of cloud computing, and then goes into a bit more detail about each:

1. Streamline collaboration
2. Convert capital expense into operational gain
3. Support BYOD
4. Simplify technology
5. Ensure business continuity

In the article, the writer describes the cloud’s role in “Support BYOD” at a fundamental level. He points out that BYOD, whereby employees own the mobile devices they use for work, would not have developed as rapidly without the secure, flexible access to corporate resources that cloud computing facilitates.

While this is true, it is important to recognize that the cloud plays a much larger role in maximizing BYOD—and for that matter, the adoption of remote working as a whole. When corporate resources are in the cloud, employees and other authorized individuals can connect via any device with an Internet connection.

Whether via a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop—or, increasingly, a personal device such as a smartwatch—the cloud connects workers with their companies around the clock and around the globe. The value of this benefit for propelling productivity, worker satisfaction, and even business innovation cannot be understated.

In addition to the five benefits addressed by Computer Business Review, we can add a few more:

1. Reduce worker downtime
2. Minimize or eliminate peripheral IT costs (such as those associated with floor space and electric bills for on-site operations)
3. Enable on-demand resource changes (e.g. increasing server space)
4. Promote document centralization and control
5. Minimize software licensing and management
6. Reduce or eliminate the need for on-site support staff

Depending on the managed IT service provider and operating model chosen, the cloud can offer additional benefits, as well. For example, some providers have the cloud certifications to guarantee audit-grade compliance of cloud resources. Many cloud models now enable separation of workloads, so companies can establish varied access controls based on the sensitivity and importance of materials and the authorization level of individuals that need access.

Of course, not all companies will take advantage of every cloud computing benefit. Some may focus on savings, while others will find the technology invaluable for the connectivity and collaboration it enables. Over time, many organizations adopt new, business-building approaches because they are available so readily in the cloud.

True cloud innovation can be more readily facilitated with the help of an enthusiastic, qualified cloud services provider, which makes it very important for organizations to select their cloud partners carefully. The open, mutable nature of the cloud also enables IT services providers to develop customized solutions for their clients, from dedicated private servers to all-inclusive, 100% IT support for both cloud and on-premise resources, such as desktops.

In today’s cloud computing market, when organizations work with the right cloud service partner and are open to new ways of thinking, the sky really is the limit (no pun intended). All a business owner needs to do is reach up and grasp the potential inherent in the cloud.

DynaSis is an Atlanta IT services and cloud computing provider for small and midsized businesses. All of our solutions focus on helping companies achieve the three fundamental IT necessities of the modern business—availability, security and mobility. We specialize in on-demand and on-premises managed IT services, managed cloud infrastructure, desktops and backups, and professional hardware and equipment installation. For more information about DynaSis’ IT support and services, visit www.dynasis.com.

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By the DynaSis Team

Although the near-ubiquitous popularity of mobile devices is hard to escape, we are often surprised at how many business decision makers don't recognize how this trend is impacting today's businesses. For firms to thrive, business leaders must understand and adjust for the considerable effect that mobility has on business operations and security.

Furthermore, numerous studies show that with mobile devices, the horse is out of the barn, so to speak. Companies can either harness it and ride it to better ROI or let employees take the reins and potentially be stampeded.

In this article, we'll introduce a few perspectives that may help you ensure your approach to mobility—and your accompanying device strategy—is keeping up with employee behaviors. Next week, we will follow up with a list of "must have" elements for any mobile device management solution.

Device Usage: 88% of workers use smartphones for work on personal time (Symantec)

Smartphones are blurring the line between work and play, and in many ways it is a good thing for businesses. Studies show that employees who perform work on a mobile device outside the office are more productive and work more hours each week, on average, than those who can't. (The jury is still out on whether companies have to reimburse them for that time, but that is a discussion for a different day.)

The reality is that many mobile-savvy workers prefer to check and even respond to email during off time. It clears any backlog that might accumulate after they leave the office and lets them get a jump on the next day's work.

If you are not providing secure access to work email and other data outside the office, your personnel will likely find a way to enable access behind your back, potentially putting your firm at risk.

Business App Usage: 65% of mobile device users download business-specific apps for more convenient access to information. (Salesforce–2014 Mobile Behavior Report)

Adding support for our prior assertion is this statistic from Salesforce, which indicates the majority of workers are downloading and using business-specific apps, which might be used to conduct office business. If your company doesn't have a policy and a plan to approve business-centric apps for workers—and to secure the information being accessed and manipulated by them—you are inadvertently encouraging workers to adopt rogue apps.

In doing so, you are increasing the chance that worker behaviors on mobile devices will pose a threat to your corporate assets.

ROI: For a firm with 20 mobile workers averaging $25 an hour, gaining one hour a week in productivity through device usage results in a net yearly gain of $25,000 to the firm. (Based on a 50-week year).

The time savings for organizations that support a mobile workforce, either through BYOD (bring your own device) or corporate-supplied devices, is proven. Such minor time savers as giving service workers mobile access to routing instructions/maps for their schedules or enabling mobile upload of billable time can aggregate into far more than an hour of productivity increases, each week.

The ROI of mobility is undeniable and outweighs the cost and complexity of pursuing a mobile-centric strategy, especially if a firm has mobile workers.

At the end of the day, if you don't provide a safe mobile environment, many employees will create a workaround. Not only will you increase corporate risk; you will also lose the ability to extract maximum value by directing the process and outcome.

About DynaSis
DynaSis is an Atlanta IT services and cloud computing provider for small and midsized businesses. All of our solutions focus on helping companies achieve the three fundamental IT necessities of the modern business—availability, security and mobility. We specialize in on-demand and on-premise managed IT services, managed cloud infrastructure, desktops and backups, and professional hardware and equipment installation. For more information about DynaSis’ IT support and services, visit www.dynasis.com.

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By the DynaSis Team

BYOD―Bring Your Own Device, a program were employees use their own devices for work tasks, is moving from being an option to becoming a certainty. A 2015 report from research firm Tech Pro found that 60% of companies currently allow BYOD, with another 14% planning to do so, soon. A 2013 Gartner research survey predicted that by 2017, half of all employers would require employees to supply their own device for work purposes.

The reasoning is simple―not only does a firm save money when employees provide devices, but it also fosters greater employee satisfaction and work-related device usage. BYOD also drives innovation, not only because employees have access to work functions outside the office, but because firms that allow BYOD often reinvent their processes, adopting mobile-compatible apps for everything from timesheets to contact management and more.

Despite the benefits of BYOD, however, many problems that have plagued businesses for years―particularly security―continue to be concerns. In the Tech Pro survey, security was the number one reason companies reported as their reasoning not to allow BYOD.

Because of this consideration, we recommend firms approach BYOD like they should any other IT strategy―with proper evaluation and planning. It may be easy to say “yes” to employees regarding BYOD―or to do nothing and simply allow personal devices to creep onto the network―but neither of those approaches give businesses an optimal outcome.

Regarding security, advanced IT services providers such as DynaSis offer affordable mobile device management platforms (with IT support) that secure corporate access without restricting the user from enjoying the device, personally. These platforms include remote lock and wipe features and/or “find me” functions that help an employee recover a misplaced or stolen phone.

In the first instance, employees shouldn’t balk at remote lock and wipe―or any other access restrictions―on personal devices, provided it only impacts corporate data.

In the second example, most employees are grateful for locator solutions, since losing a mobile device or having one stolen and not recovered creates a financial burden on the owner.

As Gartner Vice President and distinguished analyst David Willis noted in the 2013 report, "We're finally reaching the point where IT officially recognizes what has always been going on: People use their business devices for non-work purposes," said Mr. Willis.

We couldn’t agree more, and provided that company leaders approach the effort with business (including security) focused planning and execution, we fully support BYOD. After all, if workers are going to sneak personal usage onto a business device, why not turn the tables and let them provide their device (with or without a subsidy) for business use?

An appropriate BYOD program has many elements, and we don’t have room to discuss them here. Furthermore, firms that implement BYOD should also develop the business case for their programs beforehand and make sure they’re extracting maximum benefit from BYOD.

We’ll save those discussions for a future article, and in the meantime, leave you to consider the statistics that clearly show BYOD is the future of business mobility.

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By the DynaSis Team

Another interesting survey came across our desk recently - this one about the use of social and mobile technologies. According to research from UK-based Advanced Business Solutions (ABS), companies* are using social and mobile outlets to increase their customer engagement, but they’re not putting them to full use to power greater business productivity.

According to the research, 85 percent of surveyed organizations use social and mobile technologies for external (customer/client marketing). Additionally, 69 percent use social technologies as response mechanisms for customer and prospect queries, comments, complaints and other communications.

However, only 17 percent of respondent companies are using these technologies to help workers share information and collaborate with one another. We found this interesting, given that approximately two-thirds of respondents stated that social and mobile technologies are valuable for employee collaboration. Nearly the same percentage thought that using them more effectively could improve efficiency.

A 2014 Constant Contact survey of U.S. small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) appears to correlate these findings, at least regarding mobile technologies. According to the survey, 92% of SMBs either have a mobile-optimized website or are planning to create one in the next six months, and 23% are interested in using mobile advertising. In both cases, the focus is on using mobile technology for external, not internal communications.

It’s important to note that neither survey addresses other forms of productivity for which we view mobile, at least, to be pivotal. Among these is remote working―what we call “mobile officing.” Having access to properly managed mobile devices can give employees the ability to work as safely and productively as if they were at their workplace.  (The ABS survey did recognize the definition of mobile technologies as “creating an always-on work force that can connect and access information at any time and from any place.” That’s essentially how we view it.)

These surveys made us wonder how our customers and other readers are using mobile and social technologies. Are you using either or both to enhance internal collaboration? Are you focusing on externally facing messages and collaboration only? Do you feel you are achieving greater internal or overall workforce productivity with social and mobile technologies?

We’d love to hear your feedback―and talk to you about how you can achieve all these goals easily and affordably. To learn more, please give us a call.

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By the DynaSis Team

We’ve talked about BYOD (bring your own device) several times here, but it’s always been mostly from the technology perspective. This week, we’ll offer a few suggestions that also address what your employees need to know about using their devices. These are all ideas we recommend you integrate into your own corporate policies.

As we’ve discussed before, many employees show little compunction about sneaking onto corporate networks with personal devices, whether you allow them to or not. It makes no sense for companies to fight the BYOD trend any longer. Beyond adopting best practices such as mobile device management, having a straightforward discussion with workers will go a long way towards preventing trouble with BYOD.

1. Be Crystal Clear. Make it clear what employees are and are not authorized to do. For example, don’t assume they know they will not be reimbursed if they upgrade their plan, purchase more data and/or add international dialing or data when they go out of the country. If you won’t pay for these add-ons, tell them so. Don’t get caught between keeping a key employee happy and footing a big bill.

2. Establish Barriers. Create “clearance levels” for different pools of company data and restrict the most sensitive information to workers that really need access. (Restricting data behind a cloud-based portal is a good solution; controlling access is an even better one.) Notify all personnel of the procedures and remind them that not following policy puts the business and their jobs at risk. New surveys show that consumers absolutely blame corporations for data breaches and expect them to pay for damage they do. Don’t accidentally expose your firm to litigation by taking a slack attitude towards data access.

3. Enable “Lock and Wipe” Features. The best corporate “portal” solutions wipe all traces of the data from the device after each work session ends. Nevertheless, corporate data may sneak onto personal devices, often when workers forward emails or text corporate data to themselves for the sake of convenience. Be sure your mobile device management platform has remote lock and wipe features in case a phone goes missing. Reinforce to personnel the importance of reporting a missing phone promptly rather than holding the information in hopes of finding the device.

4. Reward a Job Well Done. Studies show that employees will work extra hours when you permit them to use personal devices at work. That’s great, but you should reward this behavior by compensating hourly employees for documented work that takes place outside the office. To do otherwise sets you up for a possible Department of Labor violation and penalties.

5. Don’t Fight Social Media. Your personnel are going to check Facebook or other social platforms during the work day. It’s a fact of life. So, ensure that all corporate content is sufficiently protected by encryption and anti-malware software. In lieu of pay, consider establishing a social media policy that trades on-the-job social media “comp” time for work done after hours (see number 3). Isn’t it better for workers to be given a few minutes a day to check Facebook rather than to have them do it without your consent?

6. Respect Worker Privacy. Speaking of social media, under no circumstances should you ever require workers to give you social media passwords―or passwords that protect any personal data. Your goal is to protect your data and intellectual assets, not to snoop into theirs. To do otherwise could set you up for a lawsuit.

Using BYOD blurs the lines between personal and corporate life. It’s your job to redraw them clearly. To learn more about some of the solutions we have mentioned here (all of which DynaSis offers), fill out our inquiry form or give us a call at (770) 569-4600.

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By the DynaSis Team

As news of the data-breach class-action suit against restaurant chain P.F. Chang’s reverberates around the Internet, a recently released survey has confirmed what a lot of experts have been asserting—that corporate websites are nowhere near as safe as their operators might hope. (For those that don’t follow online security news or have been on vacation in Bora Bora, P.F. Chang’s suffered a massive credit-card data breach in June 2014.)

The report, released by the Online Trust Alliance (OTA), found that 71% of top consumer websites did not sufficiently adhere to online security and privacy best practices. The OTA branded them with the designation of “untrustworthy,” because they expose their customers to potential data leaks, security breaches and privacy concerns. (The OTA performs this audit yearly; it just happened to coincide with the P. F. Chang’s disaster.)

For this report, the OTA examined the privacy and security practices of 800 leading sites that target consumers, from Walmart.com to Ancestry.com, and assigned them a grade for “online trust.” For the evaluation, the OTA considered three categories of best practices―domain/brand protection, privacy and security―for both the sites themselves and any related mobile apps they offer. (Twitter scored the highest grade for privacy and security.)

Among the top sites, 28.8% made the Honor Roll, meaning they safeguard data in the three categories listed above. That sounds pretty good until you consider that 52.7% of examined sites failed completely in at least one category. Among news and media sites―which many, many people read both at home and at work―only 4% qualified for the Honor Roll. Of perhaps greatest concern, however, was that banking websites and the Internet Retailer 500 (the online retail “big boys) performed dismally as well, with 65% and 57% failing, respectively. (Those numbers really shocked us.)

Given that the TOP 800 sites performed so dismally, where does that leave Internet users? Likely, in pretty scary territory. So, what’s the takeaway for business owners? In our view, there are several.

1. Inform your employees about the report and urge them to avoid sites that failed, both at home and at work. The weakest link in everyone’s security chain is the human one.

2. Understand that not providing personal data won’t necessarily make a site safe, because some harvest information off any device that accesses the site.

3. Know that mobile apps are even more likely to harvest data―they tell users that up front, but most ignore the warning. Caution users about this issue and deploy a corporate solution that monitors device app usage (see last week’s post).

On a separate but equally crucial front, if you host a Website that collects or stores any sensitive data from your customers, we strongly urge you to have it evaluated for adherence to privacy and security best practices. Furthermore, if you accept, transmit or store credit card data, you must comply with PCI (payment card industry) guidelines. 

A large chain like P. F. Chang’s can likely weather the fall-out from a major data breach or the fines from failing to meet PCI requirements. It is a sad but honest fact that smaller businesses cannot.

If this entire discussion mystifies you, know that you are not alone. Many of our customers don’t have the time or technical expertise to explore these types of issues and take action. That’s why we are here. To learn more about what you can do to safeguard your website, your business and your workers, fill out our inquiry form or give us a call at 678.218.1769.

By the DynaSis Team

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In our last article, we touched a bit on mobile security as part of our larger discussion of mobile email adoption. We thought you might appreciate a follow-up discussion of the mobile device practices you should be putting in place to protect your company and personnel.

As corporate users continue to access business data and applications on their mobile devices, they blur the lines between company and personal use. Yet, numerous studies indicate that requiring employees to use a “company only” device lowers productivity and engenders user dissatisfaction.

Furthermore, at least one study found if workers are not allowed to use their personal devices for work, a large percentage will find workarounds to sneak corporate information onto personal devices in defiance of corporate policy. Those who engage in this practice generally aren’t corporate saboteurs―they’re simply frustrated employees that want to check email or perform other work tasks on their personal devices.

So, what’s a small or medium-sized business (SMB) to do? Engage in mobile device management (MDM), which lets organizations tightly manage mobile apps, secure mobile access to enterprise data, protect business data no matter where it is accessed or stored, and maintain auditable control over mobile devices.

Such robust MDM used to require a dedicated server that generally supported only one device platform (BlackBerry was the most common, in the past). Such solutions were beyond the capabilities (both in price and in complexity) of most firms.

Today, however, it’s possible to enjoy device-agnostic (any platform, within limits) MDM as a service. With such a solution, SMBs pay a fee for access to a platform that will ensure corporate protection. (Solutions such as these should provide all the support a company needs and completely alleviate the need to develop a solution in house or bear the burden of purchasing and configuring an MDM server.) The best of them combine desktop and device management under a single service, creating a “single pane of glass” view into all of a company’s user-run devices.

Many Managed IT service vendors provide such services, but all offerings are not created equal. Following are some key features to look for in a solution for your own firm:

• Track location of mobile devices based on location history or in real time;
• Trigger an alarm sound to help track a lost or stolen device;
• Lock, wipe and reset lost or stolen devices;
• Maintain a catalog of required apps and a list of banned apps, with remote app monitoring to ensure compliance.
• Configure email and settings―for any monitored device―remotely and automatically.
• Collect detailed inventory information as part of a complete network view.

At DynaSis, our offering combines desktop and device management, rolling MDM (smartphones and tablets) in with support and protection for corporate PCs (desktops and laptops). It incorporates all the best-practices protections we have discussed here, and more, and is included with many of our solutions. To learn more, fill out our inquiry form or give us a call at 678.218.1769.

By the DynaSis Team
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With technology gurus and media touting the benefits and adoption rates of advanced technologies such as cloud computing, one might assume that everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. A new study from Ipsos Research (commissioned by Microsoft) shows that for SMBs (small to midsized businesses), that’s not the case.

Per the survey, conducted in early May 2014, only 30% of SMBs polled report adopting cloud computing, despite its obvious benefits. Other “hot” technologies such as tablets, payment technologies and social media apps also don’t rank highly, with only 34%, 34% and 31% considering of SMB owners considering them important, respectively.

Far more important to these business owners are laptop computers (68%), desktop computers (67%), smartphones (60%) and the supposed dinosaurs of technology—landlines (52%). More troubling, perhaps, is that it’s not that business owners don’t like these technologies. Of those polled, 86% said that keeping up with technology trends is important to their business (50% ranked it very important; 36% said it was somewhat important). Rather, they do not think their questions and concerns about these developments have been adequately addressed.

Specifically, the top three concerns of SMB owners regarding adopting new technologies were:
The expense of upgrading and/or maintaining technology (35%)
Security of new technologies (22%)
Mobility and access—specifically, the ability to work with content from multiple devices in any location (16%).

At DynaSis, we have long maintained that security, availability and mobility are the three pillars of success with technology, so we couldn’t agree with these business owners more. What these SMB owners (and others) may not realize is that it is no longer expensive or complicated to address security and achieve mobility and accessibility.

Furthermore, when SMBs develop technology plans that are aligned with their business objectives, the cost of upgrading proactively can be less expensive than dealing with equipment failures and outages as they occur. In fact, when the cost of downtime, lost business opportunity and company standing, and the productivity value of new technologies are factored in, unplanned upgrades and repairs are almost always considerably more expensive than making improvements at a measured pace.

With the survey also reporting that a substantial percentage of SMBs still manually collect and store data on individual hard drives (36%) and/or use filing cabinets and folders to collect, store and share files (26%), it’s evident that many SMBs are really missing out on the value of centralized (including cloud/online) storage solutions.

On the plus side, 40% of SMB staffers are now able to work remotely at least 50% of the time. That’s great news, but if they are still tied to hard drives and file folders, they are not working very productively.

If any of these statistics ring a bell with you, please fill out our inquiry form or give us a call at 678.218.1769. Our certified IT pros will come to your location, review how IT is (or isn’t) helping you achieve your business goals and objectives, and show you how it can be affordable to transition from outdated, insecure and impermanent technology solutions to a future where everyone works collaboratively and productively, from any location they choose.