IT Strategy Template 2021

This IT Strategy template will help you address:

  • What IT support your business requires for your services, devices, and people
  • Where you could apply Cyber Security measures to protect your business and people from cyber threats
  • How you can enable your people to work productively and efficiently.

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To reach your goals and grow your business, it’s important your IT strategy is up to par. Use this IT Strategy Template to make sure you’ve addressed all aspects of your business’ technology. This free template will help you implement a strategy that supports your systems and technology, protects your business against cyber threats, and enables your people to work productively.

Build your IT strategy by focusing on what services your business needs and which devices your employees use. It’s important to address how you’ll protect your business from cyber threats because a cyber attack could be detrimental to your business. Finally, your technology needs to empower your employees to work productively and efficiently by giving your people all the tools they need to work smarter.

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You can read about why your business needs an IT strategy to help you understand the impact on your business.

Why Your Business Needs an IT Strategy

An effective IT strategy is crucial in boosting staff productivity, enhancing task and staff management, and elevating overall efficiency across your business.

What is an IT Strategy? The Key Components

Every business’s IT strategy varies, reflecting its unique needs. Nevertheless, certain core elements are integral to any IT solution. These include:

  • Business Objectives:

    • Task: Identify and document your short-term and long-term business goals.
    • Action: Conduct a technology audit to assess how your current IT setup or provider supports these goals.
    • Implementation: Create a roadmap aligning technology upgrades or acquisitions with these objectives, ensuring scalability for future growth.

  • Finances:

    • Task: Determine your IT budget based on current financial status and future projections.
    • Action: Analyse the costs versus benefits of potential technology investments.
    • Implementation: Allocate resources for essential IT upgrades, maintenance, and potential expansions, including contingency funds for unforeseen IT challenges.

  • Business Needs:

    • Task: Assess the technology needs of each department.
    • Action: Gather input from department heads about their current technology challenges and needs.
    • Implementation: Develop a plan that addresses these needs while exploring opportunities for technology integration across departments to enhance collaboration and efficiency.

  • Continuity Plans and Data Backup:

    • Task: Prepare for unforeseen events and data loss.
    • Action: Develop a comprehensive business continuity plan, including regular data backup protocols.
    • Implementation: Regularly test and update these plans to ensure effectiveness in various scenarios, including cyber-attacks, natural disasters, or other disruptions.

The Benefits of a Robust IT Strategy

  • Improved Productivity & Efficiency: Utilising IT solutions can significantly boost business productivity and efficiency. Automation and user-friendly software streamline processes, freeing up time and resources. Keeping abreast of the latest technological advancements is vital. Outsourcing IT solution design, support, and maintenance can further enhance your infrastructure, ensuring seamless remote connectivity and communication, and fostering productivity, efficiency, and quality of work.
  • Better Security & Resilience: A comprehensive cyber security strategy is essential, particularly for remote working setups. Outsourcing Cyber Security Management for a thorough assessment helps identify vulnerabilities and reduce risks, safeguarding your business, employees, and sensitive data.
  • More Competitive Advantages: Leveraging technology can significantly enhance your competitive edge. Whether it’s digitalising operations or eliminating inefficiencies, innovative technology opens up a realm of possibilities for business growth and competitive advantage. Integrating technology strategy with your overall business strategy is key in today’s tech-driven market.

A well-planned IT strategy is vital for achieving business goals and maintaining market competitiveness. By aligning technology with your business objectives, managing finances, understanding departmental needs, and ensuring robust security and data backup plans, your business can realise substantial benefits in productivity, efficiency, and market positioning.

How CYAN Solutions Can Elevate Your IT Strategy

At CYAN Solutions, we offer a comprehensive range of services to enhance your IT strategy. Our fully managed IT support encompasses an all-in-one solution, using top-of-the-range tools tailored to your unique business needs. We provide unlimited support, including site visits and remote assistance, ensuring that every IT challenge your business faces is addressed promptly and effectively. Our skilled team is committed to working in close collaboration with your team and we will craft a strategic IT roadmap that’s specifically tailored to your needs. As a Microsoft Gold Partner, we are in the top 1% of Microsoft partners worldwide, giving you access to unparalleled technical expertise and support.

Our approach to cyber security is robust, employing industry-leading tools to create a secure environment that empowers your team to work without boundaries. We cover all aspects of IT support, from equipment and devices to backup and business continuity, ensuring no aspect of your IT needs is overlooked. With CYAN Solutions, transitioning to innovative IT solutions is seamless and hassle-free, thanks to our CYAN Easy Switch Promise™. Embrace superior support and experience the peace of mind that comes with knowing your IT strategy is in capable hands.

Interested in working with us? Pop us an email at [email protected] or give us a call on 02392 333 365!

Why you should be making plans to implement remote working long-term

Remote working is by no means a new concept. In fact, before COVID-19, 54% of UK workers were already working flexibly in some way.

If you weren’t offering flexible working before, you may find remote working will be a key factor in retaining your employees post-COVID-19. Let us tell you why…

Better work-life balance

Let’s face it, we could all be better at this. The positives that can be drawn from COVID-19 include time gained for ourselves.

We’ve all discovered that we could be using the time we’ve previously spent stuck in traffic to be more productive in our personal lives. Whether that’s doing exercise, spending more time with family, walking the dog, tidying the house, or just catching up on well-deserved rest, we’re putting that time to good use and we’re all the better for it.

Remote working enhances wellbeing

The freedom to choose where and how we work has a significant impact on our happiness. By gaining more time at home, we have become more rested and less stressed. With a more positive approach to work, our days are spent productively.

Communication has improved

Believe it or not, remote working can encourage better communication and unite your workforce. People are making a conscious effort to check-in and support each other now more than ever. Colleagues are still greeting each other every morning on Microsoft Teams, and they’re jumping on video calls to talk things through with more purpose than they may have had in the office. Your employees are the foundation that will empower your business to bounce back fighting.

Technology that makes your business more powerful

It’s apparent there will be a strong demand for flexible working post-COVID-19, and a proactive response now, will not only help you retain your employees, but also strengthen your business. Now is the time to switch from reactive to proactive, and we’d love to help you come out fighting.

We can review your existing IT, and make recommendations that will facilitate remote working, strengthen your continuity plan, make your business more resilient, and improve efficiency throughout. If you’d like help exploring your options, please give us a call on 02392 333 365.

Have You Considered These Risks to Your Business?

The dangers of cyber risks and threats to a business aren’t at the top of the agenda for many small and medium sized companies, but they should be. In recent years, the increase in high-profile data breaches has increased dramatically, and affected millions of people globally.

And because of the increasing commonality of these threats, society is becoming somewhat desensitised to the alarming numbers of risks that affect thousands of large-scale corporations that hold masses of personal information.

It’s often reported that big businesses are hit all the time. For example, Facebook, Tesco Bank, Talk Talk, Travelex and Three Mobile are recent prime examples. It can be forgiven to think that start-ups and small businesses are less of a target, but the reality is that no business, big or small, is 100% safe in the current climate. In fact, International Data Corporation (IDC) recently revealed that approximately 71% of data breaches are now targeted at small businesses.

What is a Risk and what is a Threat?

Before you strategically plan how to prevent your business from being affected by cyber-attacks, it’s essential to understand the difference between a risk and a threat.

Risks are business issues with technical aspects that impact, and is impacted by, all areas of the organisation. The risk element is the potential for uncontrolled loss of something of value, so in the case of data, this would include sensitive information or programs, for example.

A threat can be both unintentional and intentional, targeted or non-targeted attack. A threat can come from a variety of sources, including foreign nations engaged in espionage and information warfare, criminals, hackers, scammers and even disgruntled employees and contractors working within an organisation.

In a nutshell, a risk means the potential for loss, damage or destruction of an asset due to a threat exploiting a vulnerability. While on the other hand, a threat is what we’re trying to protect against. This can be in the form of vulnerability, weaknesses or gaps in a security program that can be exploited by threats to gain unauthorised access to an asset.

In most cases, small and medium sized businesses will deploy several technical defences such as Firewalls and Anti-virus software to protect their organisation from such threats. While these technical defences help protect the business, additional steps do need to be taken.

These additional steps are often forgotten about or not considered as they aren’t seen as technologically positioned, but they are a critical starting point for reducing the overall risk to the organisation. These additional steps include:

Leadership

In all organisations, information security needs to be driven from the top down. Most information security initiatives will fail without the support and sponsorship from the Board. The information security strategy needs to align with the business strategy and objectives to ensure the business is doing all it can to prevent serious attacks.

Behaviours and Culture

Information security isn’t just about technology, people also play a critical role. Everyone in the organisations plays an active role in information security and should be tooled with the knowledge on what to do and what not to when faced with a cyber risk or threat.

Asset Management

The organisation should maintain an up to date asset register of hardware and software in use within the business. Each asset should be assigned an owner and a level of criticality. As the saying goes, “you can’t protect what you don’t know you have”.

How can I mitigate these Risks and Threats?

Leadership

Leaders of any organisation, big or small, must have support from the Board or whoever is the ultimate decision-maker and change-enforcer of the business. First and foremost, it can be beneficial to become Cyber Essentials accredited. Cyber Essentials helps guard you against the most common cyber threats and demonstrate your commitment to cybersecurity.

A business must align the information security strategy with the business strategy and objectives, ensuring that this is communicated with all employees. To get started and equip you with the tools, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) offers a comprehensive toolkit designed to encourage essential cybersecurity discussions between the Board and their technical experts. They also provide a free service called ‘Exercise in a Box’ which can help determine how resilient a business is to a cyber-attack.

Behaviours and Culture

The practical implementation of a measurable security awareness program can be incredibly beneficial in mitigating cyber risks and threats within a business. A security awareness program should include security news on the latest threats, information posters and regular employee training to enable your employees to detect threats within the business. What’s pivotal to employee security awareness is that they everyone within the business, no matter job role, should be trained on who to report any security threats and suspicious behaviour to.

Asset Management

Asset management is vitally important. Every piece of hardware and software that’s used within your business must be accounted for. If not already in place, the first thing to do is to create an asset register of all hardware and software within the business. Use the register to prioritise the implementation of security controls, starting with the most critical assets first.

How can CYAN help your business?

When it comes to the cyber safety of your business, it’s our number one priority. When you choose Cyan, we follow steps to ensure your business is safe against the ever-growing cyber risks and threats. Here’s how:

  • We start by understanding your business
  • We assess the security maturity of your people, processes and technology
  • We identify risks and provide recommendations
  • We can create and implement a security strategy to reduce risk within your organisation
  • We can provide and manage the latest technology to secure your company assets
  • We can provide the platform and expertise to deliver a security-aware business

For more information on how we can help secure your assets and data, get in touch.

The End of Life for Windows 7

Windows 7 end of life

On 14th January 2020, Microsoft will officially ‘end the life’ of support for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 (including 2008 R2); a change that will pose a significant challenge for many businesses throughout the UK.

Not only does 2020 mark the beginning of a new decade, but it also commemorates the end of an era for Windows 7 and Server 2008. Not so long ago, these trusted operating systems were one of Microsoft’s most popular, so much so, that many businesses still use them on a daily basis.

But what exactly does end of life mean for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)? Well, if you continue to use these operating systems after support has ended, your systems will still work, but will become considerably more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. As SMEs represent 99% of all businesses in the UK, there’s potential for a significant number of companies to be effected.

Assessing the Risks

In a nutshell, this rather significant operating system end of life means no more bug-fixes, security patches or new functionality. In addition, Microsoft customer service will no longer be available to provide technical support and related services will also be discontinued over time.

This considerable change, therefore, may cause concern for existing users as the risk of running systems beyond 14th January means that computers and data can become vulnerable to exploitation, hackers and bugs, to name but a few.

Vulnerabilities can be very dangerous as attackers can more easily comprise unpatched systems. Once compromised, the attacker can gain control of the system to steal information and potentially launch further attacks on other IT systems within an organisation’s network.

When an operating system becomes end of life, the vendor will no longer release security updates or patches to remediate any discovered vulnerabilities. This leaves systems at serious risk of being compromised.

Is Your Company at Risk?

It’s vital to assess the risks to business before deciding what action needs to be taken – and, in this case, both the likelihood and impact need to be determined. To achieve this it’s essential to consider the following:

  • Does the system contain business-critical and/or confidential data?
  • Does the system contain any sensitive data such as personally identifiable information?
  • Does the system support a business-critical process?
  • Will running an end of life operating system be in non-compliance of:
    • GDPR
    • PCI
    • Supply chain agreements
    • Insurance policies
  • What would the cost be to the business if the system was compromised?
  • Would the reputation of the business be damaged if the system was compromised?
  • Is the system exposed to the internet, if so, can this be limited or removed completely?
  • Has the user(s) of the system received adequate security awareness training?
  • Do we have the capabilities, including the skills and knowledge to manage the risk?

Once the likelihood and impact have been determined, it’s then about calculating the risk. If the risk is low, it should then be recorded in a risk register and treated to reduce the likelihood of it occurring.

Managing the Risks

At CYAN, we believe that the best option and one that should always be considered before anything else is to terminate all risks by upgrading operating systems to a supported operating system before the end of life date. Which in this case, is 14th January.

However, in some cases, it may be necessary to run a system with an operating system beyond its end of life date. This could be due to several reasons, from budget constraints to a dependency on a legacy application that requires a specific version of an operating system version in order to work. If this is the case, the risk should be assessed and treated to reduce the likelihood of the system being compromised.

But it’s important to note that this should only be a short-term measure while measures are put in place to upgrade to an updated operating system. We know that business survival during a huge change such as this requires having a strong IT security strategy in place.

Effectively Treating Risks

At CYAN, we balance our intricate knowledge of IT with a personal approach to understanding the businesses and people that use it every day. And so, to reduce the likelihood of the risk occurring when Windows 7 or Server 2008 reach end of life, multiple techniques and controls can be applied to treat the risk. There are a number of ways in which this can be done:

Reducing the Attack Surface

Removing all unnecessary applications from the system and only allowing signed and trusted applications to run can effectively reduce the risk. Additionally, isolating the system to a tightly controlled security zone and limiting exposure to the internet can also help to decrease the attack surface.

Applying Patches

First of all, it’s important to know what patches are in the IT realm. A patch is a set of changes to a computer program or its supporting data designed to update, fix, or improve it. So, by applying the final update and security patch from Microsoft, as well as continually keeping all required applications up to date, can significantly treat risks.

Implementing Strong Technical Controls

Use a comprehensive endpoint security solution to protect against malware and unauthorised access and harden the system by disabling unrequired services and system features. Not sure where to start? Speak to us for expert help and advice.

Control Access

You can also prevent access by removing unused accounts and restricting access on a need to know basis. Using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication can also be highly effectively when it comes to watertight access control.

Backup and Event Logging

Regularly performing backups as well as enabling event logging to a safe, secure and restricted location is vital to contain, eradicate and recover from a security breach.

Security User Awareness Training

Within a business, it’s vital to practice safe clicking and carry out regular security awareness training and measure its effectiveness with all members of the team. This is of the utmost importance when it comes to the end of life of operating systems such as Windows 7.

The Next Steps…

While end of life operating systems will continue to work after their end date and additional techniques and controls can be applied to reduce the likelihood of the system being compromised, it’s best practice to terminate the risk by upgrading the system to a supported operating system before the end of life date.

This means the end of regular security updates which puts any system running Microsoft Windows 7 or Server 2008 beyond 14th January 2020 at serious risk. Businesses that use these systems and that have failed to update to newer systems are at risk of severe and very dangerous security breaches.

Skill and Knowledge for The Steps Ahead

It’s worth noting that to manage the risks involved in such a drastic change will require skilled resources and additional time and effort, which isn’t always something that can be carried out within a small or medium sized business. And much like any massive business change, the cost of managing the risk should be weighed up against terminating the risk by upgrading the system to the next available operating system. You might just find that it’s more cost-effective, and ultimately, will be far safer for the business to simply upgrade the operating system.

At CYAN, we have seen security threats from outdated operating systems, unpatched vulnerabilities, and various other security breaches. The longer your company waits to update systems, the bigger the risk becomes of a potentially costly and nasty attack. Please don’t wait any longer, get in touch to find out more about how we can help you with a safe and speedy upgrade.

Wherever your organisation goes after Windows 7, upgrading should be done in a measured and controlled way, and certainly not rushed at the last moment without careful consideration of the impact to business.

The Cyber Security Basics You Should be Covering Now

Achieving full protection when it comes to cyber security risks can seem daunting for even the smallest of businesses. Even if you can’t access the huge budgets that big corporations have at their disposal, there are some basic solutions you can put in place to protect your business.

5 Cyber Security Basics You Can Implement Relatively Cheaply

Even if you are a small or medium-size business with a very limited budget, there are a number of solutions which need to be implemented with relative immediacy.

1. Understand What Assets Are At Risk

We use a wide range of devices to access software and the internet nowadays. You might use a desktop in the office, a laptop at a local café or a smartphone or tablet while on the move. Software and data is no longer placed on a protected server within the organisation but can be accessed from anywhere in the world via the cloud.

Our assets when it comes to cyber security are more wide-ranging and, in some cases, can seem quite nebulous, than ever before. They are all, however, vital to daily operations and need to be protected. It’s important to know what you use and how it might affect your online security.

That means carrying out a regular inventory:

  • What hardware such as desktops, laptops and smartphones do you have?
  • If you use remote workers to support your business, how are you connecting to them and protecting data?
  • What remote or local servers are you using?
  • What cloud services are you and your staff employing?
  • What virtual machines are you using? What software?

This inventory gives you the basis for understanding your cyber security risks and needs. For example, you may allow BYOD in your business which can present specific challenges when you incorporate your software and data sharing onto someone’s private device.

2. Fill in the Gaps

Once you do an inventory, the likelihood is that you will spot areas where your security isn’t covering your business as you might like. This can happen for a variety of different reasons:

  • You may not have implemented a cyber security solution in the first place.
  • There might have been a solution, but it was turned off by someone using the software.
  • You might already have been the victim of a malware attack that turned the security measure off.

Once you know where the problems lie, you have the chance to put things right and repair your system so that it works more effectively.

The more assets that you use in your business, the more complicated it can be to address all the issues, especially if you are short of time. That may mean outsourcing your IT to a third party who can ensure the gaps are plugged, allowing you and your teams to focus on the business. The key here is that plugging the gaps in your security should be a priority.

3. Auditing Permissions

Who has access to the vital parts of your business? Most companies will limit permissions depending on what job someone does and their position within the organisational structure. These are often not monitored closely enough which means that the potential for a cyber security breach increases. For instance, if someone gives another person their password to access important information, it is putting your business at risk.

It’s also important to check things like user passwords and how these are managed:

  • Are they robust and are they changed at regular intervals?
  • Do some people have access to more areas in your business than they really need?
  • Are there old accounts still operational even though staff have left the business?

Checking permissions on a regular basis is important and will ensure that everyone has the right access and security is kept intact.

4. Developing a Cyber Security Policy and Implementing It

It’s important also to have a cyber security policy for your business, even if you are an SME. The purpose of this is to provide the framework on which all your company security works.

It should include clear guidelines on how employees should behave online, how they use your data and software, who is responsible for ensuring compliance, and what you need to do in the event of a breach.

Even if you do have a cyber security policy in place, it’s vital to ensure that this is being implemented properly. That means having a regular audit to check processes are being adhered to and any changes that need to be made are actually being made and recorded.

For example:

  • You may have run a training session to make staff aware of your cyber security policy and what is expected of them. But have you onboarded new employees properly? Do you need to provide a refresher session?
  • Is the person who is responsible for implementing certain parts of your cyber security policy doing it properly? Do they need further training, or do you need to change personnel?
  • Are there things that need to be added to your cyber security policy following changes in the operation of your business?

5. Embrace Automation

Finally, it’s important as much as possible that you don’t leave your cyber security at the mercy of human error. That includes making sure you have automatic updates and patch downloads for devices rather than waiting for employees to do it themselves. Automation not only reduces human error it can save time and money as well.

When you undertake your audit, do it with a mind of looking for areas where you can include automation.

Cyber security is most certainly a big challenge to businesses, particularly SMEs. These small steps should help tighten up and streamline your current posture and keep you safer online.

If you’d like to find out how a fully managed, tailored IT support service can benefit your business, contact the team at Cyan Solutions today.

What to Include in Your IT Strategy in 2020

It can be easy to focus almost exclusively on your business sales and how many customers you need to find over the next 12 to 18 months. One area that needs just as much attention is your IT strategy, in particular how it aligns and supports your business goals.

For a start, too many companies, especially small to medium size businesses, look at their IT support as a static part of their operation.

In fact, any IT strategy needs regular review and must move with the times and challenges to remain relevant. It’s not just about what cyber security measures you have in place either, but the whole integration and functioning of your digital infrastructure.

An effective IT strategy will deliver a number of different benefits:

  • Enhance the overall security posture for your business online.
  • Improve ROI and boosting sales.
  • Embrace new technologies to improve business processes.
  • Spend less time worrying about your IT and more time growing your business.

Undertake an IT & business goal audit

Before you can put together a realistic IT strategy, you need to understand where your business currently sits. A needs assessment or audit is designed to highlight the areas where you may have shortcomings or might want to update or evolve your systems. It can also show where your IT is working well.

This can be a lengthy process depending on the size of your company but will give you a firm basis from which to develop future plans.

What you need at the same time, however, is to align your future IT strategy with your business goals. The more you understand the synergy between your business goals and your future IT strategy, the better equipped you will be to grow and succeed for the future.

Your IT audit should cover a number of areas:

  • What is the purpose of your IT strategy? How long does it cover and who are the important stakeholders involved in its implementation?
  • Look at what current technology you use, assess its life expectancy and create a clear inventory.
  • Look at what technical solutions you ideally need in place to support your business goals over the next few years. For example, if your aim is to reduce office costs and include more remote workers, you may want to look at file sharing and collaboration cloud-based software for your business.
  • You will need to allocate a realistic budget for the existing provision and any changes you need to make to provide your IT support.
  • There are going to be limitations on what you can do depending on that budget and you should also understand how to work within these.
  • If you are introducing new IT systems, one key factor is going to be how you implement them – What disruption is there going to be? How long is it going to take? What training do staff need?
  • It’s important to build a framework where everything comes together including timelines for implementation and how you measure success. The better your metrics are here, the more efficiently you should be able to implement any changes or improvements to existing IT infrastructure.

Cyber security considerations

One area you will certainly need to be focused on in 2020 is cyber security. There’s no doubt the challenges are increasing in this area and keeping up to date is vitally important. Smaller businesses tend to assume they are less at risk from cyber security attacks than large corporations. Nothing could be further from the truth – SMEs are seen as a prime target because they are often less protected.

You need to include a review of your current cyber security measures in your IT strategy and look at how these can be strengthened. With advances in cloud services and AI you also need a service that is flexible and easily updated.

  • How do you defend your systems from cyber security risks?
  • What systems do you currently have in place and are these fit for purpose?
  • What processes do you have in place for training staff on potential cyber security threats?
  • How do you deal with third party suppliers and the security threat they may pose?

At the very least, your IT strategy needs to include a comprehensive examination of cyber security risks and how you intend to deal with them in 2020. That’s even more important in light of the new General Data Protection Regulation and legal requirements all businesses have to meet.

Opting for on-demand services

Things have changed when it comes to IT and many businesses nowadays opt for third party on-demand solutions. These can include everything from cyber security to cloud computing and digital storage.

What this brings is the ability to tailor your provision and budget better in running your business. Most services are eminently scalable so if you suddenly see a surge in growth you will have systems in place that can react efficiently and appropriately.

If you are searching for flexibility, scalability and efficiency in your IT strategy, switching to a subscription-based solution is going to make a huge difference.

Automation and AI can make life easier

It’s the general point of IT to make it easier for a business to operate. Putting aside the cyber security support you might hope to achieve, your infrastructure needs to take advantage of the various digital transformations that are taking place at the moment.

Key to this is the growing inclusion of automation and AI in digital processes. This is particularly important for smaller businesses that want to compete with bigger companies but lack the resources to do so. AI can help, for example, with delivering a great customer service experience. Automation can mean your business doesn’t have to rely on staff to do often menial but important tasks and can even replace roles completely.

Your IT strategy for 2020 should be exploring all potential avenues and matching them to your current business goals. Put the right processes in place and they should help to move your business forward faster than you think.

Working with a great IT support service

An IT strategy can be complex and demanding to put together. That’s why it’s important to work with an IT service provider that understands business and can help you implement the core changes that are going to make a significant difference to your performance over the next 12 months.

At Cyan, we have a track record of helping businesses of all sizes match their goals for growth with their IT strategy. Contact us today to find out more.

10 Questions to Ask About Your IT Service Provider in 2020

Whether you’re a small business or a large one, how you spend your budget with the help of your IT service provider is important.

Not only do you want value for money, you also need to cover the bases when it comes to security as well general and specialist IT support, including cloud services.

Ideally, you want an IT service provider that is looking ahead with you and has a plan for your business as you move towards 2020.

Here are 10 important questions to ask your current provider:

1. Can your IT service provider meet your 2020 business needs?

IT budgeting of any kind doesn’t work unless you have a road map ahead; a plan of what you want to achieve and how you’re going to get there.

While your business might have a clear idea of what it wants to do in 2020, it also needs to do this against a backdrop of IT that can deliver against business objectives, and strong cyber security. You’re IT service provider should have an implicit understanding of your business goals and have in place a strategy that tailors with your needs.

2. Is some of your technology holding your business back?

Most businesses that have adequate technology in place will tend to hang onto it until the last possible moment. That’s largely because they have invested significant time in training their staff and spent money to implement the system in the first place.

There comes a moment, however, when that legacy system is going to start holding your business back and may even contribute to a failure to reach future goals. Your IT service provider should have a clear understanding of what function your systems perform and be able to offer solutions should you need to change or upgrade.

3. What tech will your business need to replace or upgrade as you head into 2020?

This is a key IT budgeting theme for businesses that are looking to grow. They must look at the cost of moving to a new system as well as the impact of any delay in delivering their services while it beds in and the time and effort involved in training staff.

It means being sure you are making changes that are needed and will be profitable rather than jumping onto the latest tech trend or investing in systems purely to solve an operational pain without fully understanding the wider business impact.

4. What new technology is on the horizon and will it benefit your business?

There’s no doubt that the rate of development in IT services has grown considerably over the last few years. Picking the right one for your business is a major challenge.

These systems will need to be integrated to work across all areas of your business and that will take time and planning. Your IT service provider should have a handle on all the options available, what it takes to implement each and the impact on your business.

5. What is the cost of migrating to the cloud for your business?

One of the biggest changes in recent years is the availability and power of cloud services. These have offered digital transformation on a grand scale for many businesses – employees can work on the move, collaborate remotely and have instant access to updates. In addition, sales teams can get hold of vital data on their laptops or smartphones, working from home with access to the right tools is not only viable but desirable as overall productivity will improve.

But swapping to the cloud and migrating all your services takes time and money to achieve. Your IT service provider should be able to recommend a range of options to ensure the best fit for your needs at a cost you can afford.

6. Are your disaster recovery solutions fit for purpose?

No business likes to think that their systems will crash, or data might be lost. In our highly technological world, however, it remains a real risk. The disaster recovery solutions that your IT service provider has in place may not be required right now but they are an imperative part of your business you cannot afford to ignore.

You need to be confident, however, that your IT company has all the right processes in place and can get your business back up and running quickly if something happens. Your business continuity plan should be tested regularly and your IT service provider should evidence this.

7. What cyber security risks will businesses face in 2020?

That brings us to one of the incontrovertible challenges of our digital age. Any business that operates online faces numerous cyber security risks. It’s important your IT service provider has a solid finger on the pulse of cyber security and understands the threats businesses face as we go into the next decade.

One common risk is ransomware, malware that can take over your IT system and then be used to extort money from your business. Your IT service provider should be able to work with you to make sure that you have the best cyber security policies, procedures and software in place.

8. Do you have access to a cyber security expert who can tailor solutions for your business?

Cyber security for businesses is not a one size fits all solution and many different sectors have their own particular challenges. Your IT service provider needs to have the expertise on board that can deliver real solutions that protect your business. If they do not, your systems and data may be at risk.

9. Where does your IT service provider source its top talent?

There is currently a tech talent shortage and finding the top performers that will support your business is challenging. It’s important to look at how your IT service provider sources its employees, what training they provide and what sort of staff turnover they have.

One way to do this is to explore their culture and how they treat their staff. It’s a general rule that when employees feel valued and are paid appropriately, have a decent work-life balance and opportunity to progress, they are more likely to stick around than go work for someone else. Ultimately you need confidence in the team supporting your IT, and if members of that team change frequently, this will have a detrimental impact on support.

10. What other technology will help drive your business forward in 2020?

Technology takes many forms and your business will need to integrate many types into your growth model as time progresses. It could be something as simple as:

  • Moving to new, high tech premises if you are a software company.
  • Implementing a brand new sales app that employees can use on the move if you have a large sales force that is out on the road.
  • Bringing third-party suppliers in from outside and working with their technology and processes.

Your IT service provider should fully understand your current provision and objectives before they can suggest ways to help improve business processes or develop and integrate robust solutions when you need to adapt.

All these factors should help you determine how you will spend your IT budget in 2020 and what your priorities are going to be. Your IT service provider should be able to work with you to produce a road map and help you implement the changes that may be needed to achieve your goals. It’s important to ask the right questions though.

If you’re not 100% confident you’re partnered with the right IT service provider to take you in to 2020, it’s not too late to change. Contact the team at Cyan Solutions today for an informal chat about your needs.

What Does Digital Transformation Mean for Your Business in 2020?

There’s no doubt that the world of business has changed dramatically over the last twenty years. Our reliance on the digital platforms from websites and apps to pay per click advertising and social media, means that marketing to the general public is now a much more complicated affair.

Businesses have ready access to cloud IT, productivity software and a range of communication tools that, just a few years ago, would have been inconceivable to many.

What is digital transformation?

When a new digital technology comes along, you have the choice of ignoring it or using it to improve your company processes. Digital transformation generally causes some form of disruption.

Cloud services, for example, have reduced the burden of having in-house IT infrastructure. It’s given on-the-move access to important software and communication tools – staff can work remotely and have everything they need because their smart device holds the latest tools.

The disruption this form of digital transformation creates can be seen in the way many businesses are now confident employing remote/home workers to save on traditional office costs.

What does digital transformation mean for your business?

The challenge and potential of digital transformation is not so much about new software and upcoming innovations, however. It’s how your business incorporates them into its procedure, how it chooses the right tools at the right moment and how it ensures that this is all fit for purpose at both a strategic and implementation level.

Get it right and digital transformation has a number of distinct advantages:

  1. Staying Competitive
    The vast majority of businesses do not exist in a vacuum. A new technology that comes to market and makes processes more efficient may be taken up by your nearest competitor giving them a big advantage. If they are using AI to keep customers informed and happy, for example, and you are not, they’re stealing a march because their reputation is being enhanced.
  2. Becoming more productive
    One of the key reasons for undergoing a digital transformation is to make your business more productive. There is no advantage in reinventing the wheel but if that wheel is longer-lasting, improves fuel efficiency, and comfort, then it’s worth focusing on.Software like Office 365, online file-sharing and collaboration apps, and bespoke CRM’s are all examples that highlight how digital transformation has streamlined work processes and allowed businesses of all types, including start-ups, to become highly efficient and competitive in the market place.In many businesses nowadays, for example, the workforce is not contained within one office but spread throughout an area, with employees operating remotely – saving on hardware and staffing costs.
  3. Increased revenue
    At the root of all digital transformation is increased revenue for the company concerned. Whether that’s from making processes efficient and reducing staffing costs or through improving marketing communications with customers to boost sales, the single biggest factor in making a change is that all-important bottom line.
  4. Better customer relations
    Developments in AI in recent times have allowed businesses to reach out and communicate with existing and potential customers in new and innovative way. This is one area that will continue in the next few years. Another digital transformation is the variety of ways in which those customers can pay for products or services.

Staying on top of digital transformation in 2020

The challenge that all businesses have had is when and how to implement any relevant digital transformations. In 2020, this is set to remain a hugely important factor and one which will become increasingly difficult as technology evolves. Working closely with your IT service provider is going to be imperative and choosing the right moment to expand and implement will be vital.

Here are just a few of the ways digital transformation is going to have an impact in 2020:

  • The potential of 5G
    5G is finally rolling out and will take us to the next level when it comes to connectivity. Users will see faster download speeds, up to 20 times 4G. This is likely to revolutionise remote working and make it increasingly important for businesses that are trying to keep down their operational costs.5G will also feed into areas such as AI and the Internet of Things but the full impact may not be seen in business for a few more years. What you should see, however, is an increasing number of options, so keeping up with the latest tech developments is going to be vital.
  • AI and customer service
    Chatbots have had mixed reviews over the past few years and not everyone is keen on them. Businesses have found, however, that a reliable AI help service will deliver answers on the most asked questions for customers and can be a powerful time-saving tool.According to Gartner, nearly half of businesses will start to invest more in AI to streamline processes and provide a better service to customers in 2020. The good news is that those customers are also on board – we’re more focused on getting the answer we want than worrying whether we’re talking to a bot or not.
  • Analytics and staying competitive
    Analysing how your business is performing is key to success nowadays, especially online. One area where digital transformation has improved things over the last decade or so is with the various analytics packages available that provide telling insights into content performance and customer behaviour.We are now in the age of big data and the information that this provides can be seriously transformational if your business is able to leverage it effectively.
  • Security, privacy and transparency – your customers want it all!
    With the implementation of GDPR, there is a lot more pressure on businesses to ensure they have the right security measures in place. Cyber attacks are on the increase and customers expect the companies they do business with on a daily basis to protect their data.But customers also want your business to be open and transparent about what you do with that data. The challenges facing even small businesses nowadays means that a comprehensive cyber security and data protection policy is not simply something on a wishlist but an urgent necessity and one that is legally required.

Putting digital transformation at the heart of your business

Digital transformations are exciting and full of potential. But how do you know if the next innovation is right for your business? Is it best to implement something straight away and steal a march on your competitors or wait and see what the impact and advantages are?

It’s not easy for businesses to forge ahead with changes of this kind. Digital transformation generally needs money and time to implement, staff have to be trained, the effectiveness measured and changes made to adapt conditions to the needs of the business.

From IT transformation consultancy to robust cyber security, Cyan Solutions have the team in place who can provide a tailored approach to your next digital transformation challenge. Contact us today to find out more.

Essential Recommendations for Business IT Security

One of the key factors that effects almost every business with a digital profile is IT security. It’s a constant challenge to get right whether you are a small start-up or a large corporation.

Unfortunately, there are organised criminal gangs in this world who are fixed on trying to do us harm. It’s something that has been with us since the birth of the internet.

The biggest question we get asked at Cyan Solutions, is what best practice can be employed to ensure better business IT security.

Here’s a list of things you can do right now to help protect your business:

1. Don’t Assume It Won’t Happen to You

This is something we find with many SMEs. They think they’re too small for hackers to worry about. It’s simply not true.

Most attacks come through automated delivery such as Phishing email. The hackers and malware developers are looking for someone, anyone whose system they can get into. Whether you are just a one-person outfit or have many staff, treat cybersecurity with the same level of seriousness as you do other aspects of your business.

According to a recent report by Verizon, 71% of cyberattacks happen to smaller companies with less than 100 staff on the payroll. That is in part because there are more of them but the clear message is to be aware and have robust cybersecurity policies in place.

2. Use a Firewall

The first line of defence against cyberattacks is an effective business-grade firewall. Think of this as a barrier that repels common attacks and prevents malicious threats getting to your network. Companies often neglect to invest in this area as they don’t understand the importance of good perimeter security. They assume a generic router does the same job, it doesn’t. You need to improve network security measures if you want to remain safe online.

And, it’s not just external firewalls that are important – if you have sections of your network that contain sensitive data, for example, you may want to protect these with additional cybersecurity measures.

3. The Challenge of BYOD

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has largely been accepted in the business world over the last decade after some initial reticence by employers. It can often be easier for an employee to use their own smartphone or tablet or even laptop to do their work.

The trouble is that these are not generally as secure as the hardware and software that you have for your business. Staff can download the wrong apps or visit the wrong sites that open them (and your business) to potential cyberattack.

This is something that is unlikely to change in the future. BYOD offers too many benefits. The challenge is to make sure that mobile devices are updated with the right security and that staff understand their obligations.

4. Having Comprehensive Cybersecurity Policies

This brings us to the strategy for your cybersecurity protection. All businesses, whatever their size, need to have a robust set of policies that staff can adhere to. Many smaller companies do this in an ad-hoc manner which can mean their business IT security is missing vital core components. Ensure that you document your policies and make them readily available to all members of staff – including senior managers and executive teams.

5. Password Protection

It might seem like a simple thing to include in a best practice list but passwords are a real issue for businesses. Enforcing a robust policy in this area is important and could well protect your business from cyberattack. Passwords should ideally include upper- and lower-case letters, symbols and numbers. For more sensitive areas of your business, you also want to consider multi-factor identification.

It might seem like a simple thing to include in a best practice list but passwords are a real issue for businesses. Enforcing a robust policy in this area is important and could well protect your business from cyberattack.

Passwords – when implemented correctly – are an easy and effective way to prevent unauthorised access to systems. Always change the default password that comes with a new device.
If two-factor authentication is available, make sure it is enabled and use it. A common and effective example of this involves a code sent to your smartphone which you must enter in addition to your password.

6. Educating Staff

One failing, particularly for smaller businesses, is not educating their staff on the right IT security protocols. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that, even if a company has a password policy in place, in the majority of cases it is not enforced.

You have to bring your staff into the loop and make sure they are well educated with regards to cybersecurity risks. For example, User Awareness Training is a great way to educate staff to the dangers of email threats, such as Phishing attacks, which are not always easy to identify.

7. Regularly Update Your Devices and Software

It’s quite worrying the number of small and midsize businesses that do not make the effort to patch their systems, devices and software. Manufacturers release regular updates which not only add new features, but also fix security vulnerabilities that have been discovered. Applying these updates (a process known as patching) is one of the most important things you can do to improve security.

8. The Right Level of Protection

Finally, the fight against cyberattacks is a never-ending battle and you should have the appropriate virus and anti-malware software in place which is regularly updated. One big mistake businesses make is to assume that standard anti-virus software alone is adequate protection for their needs. How security should be tailored to better protect your organisation is something you need to discuss with your IT provider. Understanding what threats are targeting and putting additional layers of security in place to protect against them is an essential part to any cybersecurity strategy.

At Cyan Solutions, we deliver cutting edge IT services and support. If you want access to the best cybersecurity expertise for your business, tailored to your needs, contact our team today.