To keep the company running like a well-oiled machine, business owners often devote most of their time to streamlining logistics, boosting sales, and managing the bottom line. Cybersecurity and managing risks can easily slip down the list of priorities, but as technology becomes a more integral part of daily operations, businesses can no longer afford to neglect their online security.

Every small and medium-sized business (SMB) owner knows the sinking feeling that hits when the printer malfunctions or the dreaded “blue screen of death” appears on a computer. This concern is especially relevant here in British Columbia, where almost all businesses (99+% as of December 2021) are SMBs.

Reliable IT support is essential to keep your business running smoothly, but choosing the right approach can be challenging.

Many modern small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) face the challenge of continuously striking a delicate balance between optimizing their expenses and ensuring seamless operations while safeguarding against evolving cyberthreats. In the course of optimizing expenses, many businesses choose to reduce their IT budgets, as it is often seen as the easiest resource to cut.

Many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) used to turn to technicians only when their technology malfunctioned or completely broke down. However, this break-fix model may not work for SMBs nowadays given that they rely heavily on IT to operate effectively.

Technology is rapidly changing how modern companies operate and compete, so it’s essential for today’s businesses to have an effective IT strategy that can keep up with these changes. With the right IT strategy, businesses can take advantage of new technologies to make their operations more efficient, better meet customer demands, and remain competitive in their respective industries.

Businesses often find it challenging to determine how much to spend on technology. After all, organizations vary in size and complexity, so their IT requirements also differ from one another.

It's also unwise to simply stick with the same IT budget allocation year after year since business needs and the economic environment change.

Most companies today need IT in order to be efficient, flexible, secure, and agile. This is especially the case with startups and small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), which rely on IT to remain competitive. However, such firms lack the IT personnel and other resources needed to leverage IT solutions, and they may find it difficult to obtain IT support in the post-COVID-19 normal.

IT has become even more vital to businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. With stay-at-home orders preventing employees from reporting to the office, IT solutions like cloud computing enabled many companies to stay operational through remote work arrangements.

In the past, employee burnout was an issue that would usually occur from rigid company structures and high-pressure office environments. Some experts even suggested that allowing employees to work from home can remedy burnout. The coronavirus pandemic, however, proved that these notions were not necessarily true.

The failure of an IT project can be very frustrating for everyone involved. What’s more, it often wastes a lot of money, time, and other valuable company resources. To minimize the risk of negative outcomes whenever you embark on an IT-related endeavor, make sure to avoid the following mistakes:

Cutting too many costs
It’s normal to want to save money, but too much cost-cutting is a common reason why IT projects fail.