Top 3 IT Mistakes Small Business Owners Make

When you’re a small business owner, you’re probably already juggling a million tasks and trying to keep up with the latest tech trends. The last thing you want to do is make an IT mistake that could cost your company big time.

You don’t have to be a tech expert to run a business. But you do need to know how to use technology smartly, and that means not making these mistakes.

1. Lack of planning for IT disasters.

A lot of small businesses make the mistake of not planning for IT disasters. They think that if they don’t want to experience a disaster, they won’t.

This is not true! To avoid bad things happening to your business, you need to proactively prepare for them. You can do this by creating a disaster recovery plan, which will tell you how to handle different kinds of situations that could damage your company’s data or ability to function. This way, when disaster strikes, there won’t be any surprises—you’ll know exactly what needs to be done and where to go from there.

2. Choosing the wrong IT partner.

There are many reasons why you might want to go with someone other than your current IT partner. Maybe you want to switch from an on-premise solution to a cloud-based one, or maybe you just feel like it’s time for a change. Whatever the reason, make sure you know what you’re getting into before making any decisions.

The first thing to do is evaluate your current situation: how much data does your company have? What kind of hardware do you need? What kind of software? Once you’ve established that baseline, it’s time to start looking at potential candidates.

It’s important to consider not only their price point but also the quality of their services and support. You want someone who can help with everything from installation and configuration through ongoing maintenance and updates. Keep in mind that IT support contracts typically require paying for maintenance on an annual basis—so don’t rush into anything.

3. Lack of adequate backup systems.

Small businesses often start out using their personal computers as servers for their company’s website and email accounts—and then one day their computer dies. If this happens while there’s no backup system in place, then all of your data could be lost permanently—and that could mean losing customers forever.

Having a backup system in place is an absolute must for any business. It’s easy to set up, and it doesn’t cost much. You can use offsite storage or cloud-based services like Dropbox or iCloud Drive to store your files securely. There are also many applications available that can help with backups automatically, so you don’t have to worry about making sure everything gets backed up every day.

Takeaway:

Don’t let these mistakes happen to you!

When it comes to IT, small business owners are often flying blind. They don’t know what they don’t know, and that can lead to a lot of mistakes that can cost them time, money, and energy—not to mention their peace of mind.

But it’s not too late. Knowing these mistakes, you’ll be able to avoid common errors and make sure that your IT is working for you.