1: No Anti-virus or outdated antivirus. If I could fix one thing in the computer industry I would eliminate viruses completely from the planet. But since I can’t do that, I absolutely believe that every PC and Server should have an up-to-date antivirus program.
2: Many companies install a firewall but never update it! So the second biggest technology mistake I see is failure to keep firewalls updated. Just like antivirus programs need updates of virus signatures to catch new viruses, firewalls need updated signature files to catch new threats.
3: Failure to Patch. Microsoft releases patches every week to help protect your pc and server from being compromised. If I checked your office computers would they have all the security patches? Hint…. Some patches necessary to keep your system running properly are Optional patches, so if you’re only using Microsoft auto update and not downloading and installing appropriate optional updates, then the answer is no.
4: Nobody is checking the backup, let alone having a disaster recovery plan. Not only are 30% of businesses not getting good backups, but 60% of companies never check the backups by doing a test restore until they need that data.
5: Weak passwords. Yes we all are guilty of this one. Many offices have poor passwords; in fact some offices use a single number for their company-wide password.
6: Do it yourself tech support. Most business owners are smart people, but is it really the best use of their (or their employee’s) time, and does it have the highest probability of success for them to do their own tech support instead of hiring an IT company to do it for them? Why not concentrate on growing the business and allow professionals who deal with these issues every day and are trained in the latest challenges and their resolutions handle the computer support?
7: Buying the cheapest technology. If a $40.00 Belkin wireless router designed for home use could really protect your server and critical data from the dangers of the Internet, why would that and every other etworking equipment manufacturer offer units with vastly greater capabilities? Also, your largest expense is likely that of paying for your employee’s time. If you could increase each employee’s productivity by 10% by eliminating the time they sit and wait for a slow computer or a slow broadband connection to catch up with them, how much money could you save? If you have 10 employees making $30,000 per year, that’s $30,000 a year you’d save. To realize those saving all you have to do is spend an extra few hundred dollars per person for a better computer, or spend a few hundred dollars for a high throughput firewall. 1000% ROI is good in anybody’s books.
Coupling all these items with the lack of a disaster recovery plan is a disaster ready to happen. Don’t let your company go down that path, call us to help plug all the holes and fix your infrastructure.
Written
by Mark Richmond, Micro Doctor Inc.
