They say if you want to do something right, do it yourself. With the amount of companies that outsource to others, it can mean that the message of the business is diluted somewhat, but also all the processes are not done in-house. There are small companies that cannot afford the luxury of having all of their work done by an exclusive set of employees in the workplace, but there are some things you can do to start giving your company a self-sufficient way of working…
Invest in the right technology
Investing in the right tech is important anyway, but if you are looking to maintain an air of independence you need to make sure that you have the goods to back it up! Your server is one piece of equipment that needs addressing. It is the hub for all of your information, and you need to be able to process it in a timely and safe manner. Many businesses opt to buy their own servers and manage it in-house because it is cheaper than outsourcing to a company, and as many startups are able to look after their own servers without any issue, it is a good cost-cutting exercise. As computer viruses become more and more intricate in their infiltration methods, it is imperative that you take the necessary precautions if you are aiming to run everything in-house. Look for the best AV software that provides tech support when you need it, but it never hurts to have your documents encrypted too. Protecting yourself in all corners of your tech really helps to batten down the hatches and while there is a new update around each corner, keeping yourself up to date on the latest software trends is something you need to do for the sake of your relevance as a business.
Invest in your human capital
The other important aspect is not even tech related; it’s about what you teach your staff. There is no point in being well-protected and self-sufficient if you don’t have the right people with the right skills, but they need to develop their own awareness of what constitutes a threat to the company. An issue like data protection can leave you in a terrible position if you are unsure of the ways in which data can be stolen from your business. Taking the time to invest in data protection training and by making your staff aware of what a good way is, and what is a bad way to store data will instill some common sense working practices, and it will encourage your employees to work under their own initiative and take responsibility. They will also learn the skill of vigilance when they have learned of the many different types of threat to a company. As people will only look to the standard computer virus or rogue email as a potential threat, they don’t think about what they might be doing to cause an issue. And by giving staff a better idea of their impact on the working environment and how they could be leaving themselves open to potential data thefts, they will build up the necessary skills over time, and your business will start to work as a self-sufficient organization.
