One of the biggest issues currently facing small businesses – which they may not even know about – relates to the ways in which they are protected from cyber threats and other technological issues that can cripple any independent company. And while tech insurance can certainly help after the fact, it might also be wise for owners to get a little more proactive in protecting their enterprises.
An area which small businesses may be a little slow to address overall involves their response to technological problems with their computer systems or other devices, according to a report from Business 2 Community. While having an IT professional on call at all times may not be all that easy for small business owners to justify when it comes to a payroll decision, having someone in this position can often be the difference between making sure everything goes relatively smoothly and having a potential catastrophe looming.
In particular, many small businesses have significant difficulties in dealing with response times from IT professionals because they often have to hire outside experts to come and fix problems when they occur, the report said. These visits can be costly and take days or more to resolve, during which time an individual computer or parts, or even the whole, of a system may be unusable, which can obviously be a major problem for businesses of any size. The old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure certainly applies here, as having even a part-time IT worker who’s in the building a few times a week and also on call can go a long way to making sure these issues don’t put companies behind the 8-ball.
Knowing the difference between good and great
Having someone in such a position can also allow small businesses to be a little more proactive when it comes to making sure that the latest computer security threats are being addressed in a proactive manner, the report said. It may not be wise for owners to allow employees with little technical background to go about installing and updating security programs, and instead it should be left to experts who know exactly what they’re doing. This will help companies to avoid downloading viruses, spyware, malware, and other issues that can bog down a company’s system and put them at greater risk for attacks in general. Even having employees who owners think might be able to handle such a task might not have the depth of experience in doing so as a trained IT professional.
Of course, many small businesses may find it difficult to justify bringing on an IT worker because of the cost involved, especially given that they likely have so many other pressing concerns to address as well, the report said. However, having someone on staff (again, even if it’s just part-time) who will know more or less exactly how to properly address your various tech needs, as quickly and expediently as possible, leaving far less room for error or uncertainty, which can paralyze a business for some time.
Small business owners obviously have a lot on their plates when it comes to managing the day-to-day operations of their companies, without having to worry about cyber threats and the potentially costly issues that can arise when they strike. For these reasons, taking out small business insurance policies including those for tech insurance, to help remediate the potentially massive costs these incidents can lead to, may help to better keep companies afloat when the unexpected happens.
