Navigating Uncertain Times – Tips from Experienced CEOs
Small Business, Big Problems
There is a multitude of problems that small businesses are facing today. Clients are working from home. This is happening as a matter of force, but also will likely evolve into a matter of choice. And all of this is happening by them essentially picking up their desks and going home to do the same job that they do in the office that you would normally support them in. They may be using new software and likely not updating the existing programs. You have limited entry into these “satellite offices” so you are possibly being overlooked, or worse, ignored.
MSP Guide to Remote Security
A New Normal
Working from home has become a new normal for you, your customers, and communities across the country, with dining room tables and shared spaces becoming the offices where we conduct business of all kinds. While this structure has many benefits to productivity and employee satisfaction when done correctly, the fact that most people were thrust into it without enough time to prepare, makes for possible security gaps in the way your customers are conducting their day-to-day business, many out of your control.
Small Business Exposure
When you’re a small business, you hope for exposure. But recently, we learned that the Small Business Association (SBA) was the victim of an incident that exposed user data in a less than positive way. This occurred at the end of March, about two weeks into the official COVID-19 crisis for the United States, and at the beginning of the relief efforts that were being established.
The exposure was on the SBA’s online portal where nearly 8,000 applicants provided personal information in the process of seeking emergency loans.
It’s All Too Much
Maintaining your sanity as a business owner during this time of global crisis is enough to make you want to crawl into bed and come out when it is over. But you know you have to push through and be the rock for your business, for your family, and for your clients. They are turning to YOU to be the guiding light on how to navigate through these uncertain times safely, and we know it can all be too much.
We’re well into a “new normal” and it’s ok to feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to forge ahead. Take some time and think through this, and I bet you’ll feel better when you see that the road is clear, and you can move forward knowing that you are heading in the right direction with a community ready to support you.
Security Training and a Remote Workforce
Technology at the Forefront
Many companies are finding that the technology projects that were put on hold, or on the back burner, have moved up to the top of the list of priorities. This is happening for a variety of reasons.
Working from home is now a necessity, and so are the technical features and security measures that go along with it. Securing a remote working strategy wasn’t a necessity for most companies; it was a one-off or something that they might look to do for employees one day. One day came without anyone expecting it to be here. Now, you’re likely facing hardware and software issues, as well as the behaviors that need to be in line with company policies, outside of company walls.
Maintenance Mode
As an MSP, you are on call 24/7, even if your hours are not technically ‘round the clock’. As a business owner, this is amplified. You not only have a team to take care of and maintain, but you also have clients that need looking after as well. Ideally, all of these individuals are tethered to you for the long haul so keeping up with all of these relationships is critical.
For your clients, you need to ensure that they have the latest and greatest when it comes to protection and options for their own productivity.
Securing Your Workforce
The arrival of COVID-19 restructured the world in countless ways. We have had to rethink how we socialize, live day-to-day, and in order to keep a lot of other parts of our lives running, we are having to rethink the way in which we run businesses.
When we start to address how a business will run effectively in a situation like we find ourselves in, the first thought is understandably, how do we set our offices and employees up to work remotely? Your clients will turn to you for guidance with this, and likely already have.
Safely Working Remotely
Effective Immediately
As the Novel Coronavirus pandemic continues to greatly impact our nation, working from home is no longer an occasional benefit for many Americans, but is now a requirement for many businesses to continue operating safely and effectively. While working from home does come with its perks, there are many new cybersecurity risks created when employees make the transition to a remote work environment.
Staying Calm in Times of Crisis
We’ve all been through challenging times personally and professionally, and in our heads and hearts, we know that “this too shall pass”. But with the COVID-19 virus being declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, the time in which things pass may be longer than we’d like.
The Untapped Vertical
The Untapped Vertical
With the cannabis industry growing rapidly in the United States, and more states legalizing marijuana, this sector of business is one that can be explored as a vertical by MSPs to uncover the cybersecurity needs within.