In my two previous posts, I've talked about email safety and the importance of educating your end users. The goal being that your employees become critical consumers of information and data on the internet. As I mentioned before, one of the most important investments that you can make towards the security of your business is to educate your employees about email safety and best overall practices. So, what is the next smartest thing business owners can do to securely manage their IT assets?

 I started with SumnerOne in 2006. It was a different world of technology at that time. The technology advances that we had were moving into affordable color copying in an office. Its crazy to think that at that time, a color print cost $.15 and black and white prints were $.013. And that was considered a bargain! Since then, the world of office technology has moved past printers and copiers and further into the realm of the digital age. In my experience, I can tell you that one thing is certain: technology is constantly changing and if you want to stay relevant, you better be changing with technology. I can assure you that if my sole expertise was telling you what printer fit your business, I'd have a lot of spare time on my hands. So how has SumnerOne evolved into more than just a printer and copier dealer? Let me tell you how we've done it:

As a business owner, your focus is to ensure that your business systems and data are secure from threats. There are many ways to make that level of information security happen. You may find yourself asking, what is the best way? Which solution will provide the most return on your investment? Would it be a new firewall? Fresh antivirus and anti-malware apps to protect against cyber attacks? Actually, the answer might surprise you. The best return on your invested dollars is to help educate your end users. One ignorant end user can bring down your entire infrastructure no matter what you might have invested.

The past few months, we have discussed the “IT” problem. It’s well-known that the biggest security risk for a company is its people. Educating your employees on possible threats is the first line of defense, but this can only help so much in the battle of keeping your network secure. The devious cyber criminals that are trying to wreak havoc on your business are pretty sinister and tricky. The need for IT support for any business is inevitable, but which type of IT services is right for you?

As small and medium-sized business owners, we make every effort to ensure that our networks are protected from malware, viruses, and spam. It only takes one user to click on a link in a spam or phishing email to bring down the whole network. How do we educate our users so that they become critical consumers in a high-tech workplace?

The pulse of every company today can usually be measured by their digital presence. Almost everyone has a website and their business survives working on a network. As workers start their day, they have a cup of coffee or two in the morning. They sit at their desk answering calls and e-mails and things run smoothly as the workday hums along; until there is a problem with your network or device. But how can you be sure that the IT provider there to solve your issues has your businesses best interest in mind? 

This weekend, we were in a competitive situation for a dream home in Kansas City. We had several rounds of changes to our offer agreement as we negotiated against multiple motivated buyers. Time and flexibility were critical as we were against a tight dead line. Several conversations between us and realtors representing buyers and sellers and lenders took place. We got our signed documents in by the 5 pm deadline for a final decision from the seller. The result; we got our dream home.