Many apps are useful and often available at little or no charge. But IT support services professionals know that the convenience they offer does have a price: the user’s personal information.

The theme at the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show may have been “shiny, exciting, and easy to buy,” but for many businesses in 2023 – struggling with rising prices and supply chain challenges – the theme could perhaps be described as, “do more with what you have already got.”

While it has its advantages, ERP — a type of software that can manage supply chain operations, accounting, procurement and other recurring business activities — also has many security threats.

The convenience offered by online shopping can also offer an opening for cybercriminals who seek to rip off consumers, lining their own pockets while leaving retailers looking like the villain.

The incidence of ransomware has been steadily increasing. However, by taking some commonsense steps and partnering with a qualified outsourced IT support group, businesses can reduce the chance of becoming the next victim.

Just like sports teams, the performance of businesses largely depends on the quality of individuals — and keeping an underperformer on a payroll penalizes other employees.

Technology can help a new company quickly ramp up its operations — as long as management follows the right tech playbook.

Security-conscious business owners never leave their front door unlocked or hand out their passwords to strangers. But many have already handed their business keys to a potentially dangerous culprit: their digital copier.

External threats never seem to end. For example, ransomware attacks, in general, are rising. Savvy owners, however, can mount some defenses.

It can happen to anyone, at any time: you have had a good, even great relationship with your cybersecurity services, managed IT services, or other vendors for an extended period of time. They have always been engaged and attentive — until they no longer are. As a business owner, what do you do?

This technology are updates that software or operating system vendors issue to fix performance bugs or to provide enhanced security features. There is typically no added charge for a patch, and the installation and updates generally do not interfere with ongoing operations.

When considering this move, it may be helpful to use an experienced service provider that can offer fast, reliable application updates with greater flexibility. Such a provider will also enable a business to only pay for the cloud services it uses — but with the flexibility to add new features as needed.