I hear from small businesses that they don't know what they should be doing regarding their "IT." The number one thing I hear is," I want it to work, and do I have to do updates?"
I know that for many small businesses and people just starting, Money can be tight, and you don't have the extra to spend on a full-time IT person nor should you, consider outsourcing. If you are a small business or just starting, here are some things you can be doing to protect yourself when it comes to your IT.
Computers:
1.) Run the OS updates. There is no excuse not to be doing your Mac or Windows updates.
2.) Software updates. There is a reason software companies release these updates. They provide bug fixes,and user experience improvements.
3.) Firmware updates. Computers have hardware, and these hardware pieces need to be maintained. Check your computer manufacturer's website for firmware updates.
4.) Virus and Malware scans. There is no reason you shouldn't be running a virus scan on your computer. It would help if you were scanning your computer monthly at the bare minimum; honestly, I recommend a weekly scan. Pay for business-grade protection, something that does real-time scanning and protects against ransomware.
Printers:
Disable the Direct Print on your printer. You are more than likely are not using it. The Direct Print feature establishes a direct connection to your printer by broadcasting its wireless SSID. It is different from having your printer on your wireless network posted by your wireless router. You would only need Direct Print enabled if you didn't have Wi-Fi in your business but wanted to connect to your printer wirelessly. By disabling the Direct Print feature, you are cutting down on Wi-Fi pollution within your company. Do the firmware updates for your printer and any software updates if running the full software version on your computer.
Wi-Fi routers:
The most important thing to do is change the default admin password on your wireless router, but you must have this written down somewhere safe; I suggest a sticker or label that you can write it down and then put on the bottom of the router. Do the firmware updates for your router. You will have to log into your router's web interface to do these updates. If you have Guest network capabilities on your router, use it, and be sure to change the password each month. Do not put devices on your internal network that are not part of your business; it leaves you susceptible to vulnerabilities. If you have a guest network that you offer to the public, make sure you can shape/control the amount of bandwidth it uses, You don't want to allow your guest to use all of your capacity so that your business cant operate efficiently.
Outsource
These are just the basics you should be doing; you should also make sure that you have good backups of your data. If you feel like you do not have the time to do this weekly or don't want to deal with the tech side of things, Then it's time to outsource.
Schedule a call with me today to outsource your IT needs.
FREE GUIDE
Wondering if it's time you should outsource you IT needs? Download my free outsource guide to see when is a good time to outsource.