IT support for small businesses can help protect you from cyber security fatigue

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With the frequent news of data breaches, and with the multitude of cyber security warnings issued on a regular basis, some people are reporting “security fatigue”. Recent research from the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) shows that when people get overloaded with security concerns, there’s a stronger tendency to respond with apathy. IT support for small businesses can help protect you from cyber security fatigue.

This apathy may stem from a sense of futility and an inability to keep up with all the latest threats. Some people may also conclude that hackers won’t even notice them, given all the available targets out there.

IT support for small businesses

Small business owners often fall into this way of thinking. They struggle to keep up with the latest cyber dangers, doubt their ability to respond effectively to attacks, but also assume that their business won’t attract attention anyway.

Fighting off security fatigue with IT support for small businesses

Even though constant cyber security warnings can wear people out, the threats themselves remain real – including for small businesses. As reported in a recent article from Tech.Co, most cyber attacks affect small or medium-sized businesses. Not the larger companies that make the news.

Making use of IT support for small businesses is one of the best ways to keep from succumbing to fatigue. Small business owners and employees are less likely to experience fatigue if they don’t have to handle cyber security entirely on their own.

IT personnel can monitor for threats, implement various protections, and stay up-to-date on emerging dangers. They can make cyber security more simple and straightforward. It will be broken down into a relatively small number of policies for employees to follow. No one will feel bombarded by enormous quantities of cyber security information (some of it confusing and contradictory).

Small businesses can’t afford security fatigue. Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information on how we can help strengthen cyber security for your company.

IT Consulting: Always A Good Idea For Small Businesses

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As a small business owner, whether or not you consider yourself or members of your staff to be tech-savvy, determining what specific technology your business requires can be difficult without IT consulting. Seeking out professional advice in order to optimize the productivity of your business will have a positive effect on your profits, time management, and peace of mind. Bluwater Technologies can customize solutions for you in order to remedy numerous common IT problems that face small businesses.

IT Consulting Is Always A Good Idea For Small Businesses

  • IT Analysis. A team of qualified experts will evaluate the IT system your business currently has in place. They will take note of any weaknesses it may have. They will also have design suggestions for a more appropriate IT system to meet your needs.
  • IT Installation. After the initial analysis and creation of your tailored IT system, trusted vendor partnerships are utilized for its installation. Only the finest quality of work and professionalism are displayed during your IT installation. Thus, putting your mind at ease and ensuring your full confidence in this branch of your business.
  • Technology Direction. Security threats are a serious threat to small business technology. Once any such threats are diagnosed, we will make recommendations. These will eliminate any dangers that could potentially threaten the livelihood of your business.

When such an integral portion of a business is left to chance it can cause many headaches for small business owners on a daily basis. Enlisting Bluwater’s services will allow you to get back to running your business in a more efficient and productive manner. To learn more about how the variety of IT consulting services we have available can increase your business’s likelihood of success contact us today.

Small Business Budgeting Advice To Effectively Manage Your Company

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As a newcomer in the industry, especially for someone who owns a small business, it can often be difficult to get started. Not only might you lack the resources that larger businesses have, but no doubt will you be on a tighter budget as well. In fact, that’s one of the main differences between a small/medium-sized business, and one of a larger size. With that said, what’s the best way to effectively manage your company’s budget? Here is some small business budgeting advice to take into consideration.

Small Business Budgeting Advice

Small Business Budgeting Advice

When owning a business, it can be tempting to buy flashy products, especially if you think it’ll make the workplace stand out. However, this is where style over substance comes into play. As a small business owner, you should only be purchasing what you need and not necessarily what you want. While buying these items, also ask yourself if they bring any value to the company, and if they’ll help to meet your business needs. If the answer is no, you can do without them.

As a small business, you should also be seeking advice from a financial advisor. Even if you think you know all the financial ropes of your business, the coach/advisor may show you that your business is in more trouble than you think. In fact, some financial advisors may even give you budget advice. Even the most experienced business owners could take to heart. Also, have you considered making a budget list for the company? It’s a great way to keep yourself organized. This way you and others know how much can and can’t be spent. In the long run, your money can be used much more effectively.

For more helpful business advice, including the benefits of our IT support, feel free to contact us today at Bluwater Technologies. We look forward to hearing from you.

How To Minimize Trackers: Computer Tip Of The Day

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As great as communicating over laptops, PCs, and mobile devices can be, there are also drawbacks. Learn how to minimize trackers.

minimize trackers

One is the persistent dropping of cookies and other trackers on your screen as you browse. Unless you are very computer adept, you may not realize that cookies and multiple trackers are there.

Minimize Trackers

But you see the evidence of them in the ads you see as you move through pages on the internet. Say you were shopping for shoes on a site, for example. On your next site, or when you go to your e-mail, you might see advertising banners for shoes, maybe even from the same company. Same with lawn equipment.

They’re reading your browsing interests (and making decisions about what your interests are) via trackers.

There are several ways to stop trackers. All are very simple and knowing how is one of the great computer tips of the day.

Search Engines

First, you can use a search engine that vows not to track people. Yes, despite the ubiquity of Google as a search engine and tracker, there are alternatives. One, mentioned in Julia Angwin’s book Dragnet Nation: A Quest for Privacy, Security, and Freedom in a World of Relentless Surveillance, is Duck-Duck Go. (Angwin is a reporter who writes about the commonplace tracking of Americans through computers.) It can be found at https://duckduckgo.com/. Simply set it as your default search engine, just as you would search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, or the others.

The advertisements will disappear virtually overnight. You see, the cookies and trackers are so your search engine makes money by, among other things, selling your buying behavior. It’s a marketing tactic, and your browsing history is tracked and marketed by these companies. Some, though, have been formed specifically not to track people.

Software

Second, you can install software that tells you what trackers are on a given screen and gives you the option to block them or not. The most popular is Ghostery. It can be downloaded at https://www.ghostery.com/. Go through and choose to see the trackers. A list of names will pop up in a purple balloon. You will see the option to block or unblock. You can block with a click, or choose not to block.

Both are free to use, and will give you a great sense of how many trackers there are out there.

Contact us for more information.

Benefits of Outsourcing IT Support

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Outsourcing IT support is a step towards having a more organized business. Letting trained professionals handle your IT questions can make daily work easier and allow for more time for important projects, expansions, and other business-related tasks, as well as minimizing interruptions of daily activities. Here are 4 reasons to outsource your IT support to maximize your business’s productivity:

outsourcing IT support
  • Prevention, not intervention. In-office IT support is likely there after the problem has already occurred, restoring normal activity. Outsourcing makes it easier to spot problems before they put a halt to your productivity, and can make preventing latent problems easier.
  • Improved response times. Outsourced help centers can increase the speed of resolution. Turning a face-to-face encounter into a brief phone call for simple fixes. Instead of waiting for the IT professional to come by, employees or managers can call the support center and receive the same level of expertise in less time.
  • Saved money on staffing. Because IT support centers are most likely located out-of-state, and even out of the country, the cost of receiving help is less. Hiring full-time IT technicians with benefits and other costs can drain a business instead of aiding in its growth. The support is there when it is needed, and no more.
  • Higher levels of security. By outsourcing IT needs, security standards are greatly improved. If a team of IT professionals within a company has access to sensitive information, it may be misused. External assistance is brought in on a need-to-know basis, protecting the company from internal damage.

Contact us at Bluwater Technologies for more information.