In the past, businesses needed an in-house IT department if they were going to enjoy a secure and reliable network. But over the past decade or two, things have changed. Higher internet speeds, cloud technology, and other advances have made it possible for businesses to outsource IT services, increasing efficiency and cost effectiveness.
If you run a small- or medium-sized business, you may assume that cyber security threats and attacks only impact large, international companies. But if you think that, you’re wrong.
Hackers and other cyber criminals attack small businesses even more than large ones since they seldom have the kind of security measures in place that larger businesses do.
Criminals have been thinking up ways to leverage the internet for nefarious purposes since its earliest years. Black markets, identify theft, and malware have become ever-present threats. Cybercriminals make an estimated $1.5 trillion each year. And of that massive sum, $11.5 billion is skimmed from businesses and individuals through ransomware.
By now, everyone has heard of the cloud computing benefits. And yet, there’s still a lot of confusion surrounding its reliability and security. This is one of the reasons that many small businesses are hesitant to move to a cloud-based model. Instead, they invest thousands of dollars in on-site equipment that requires expensive upkeep and extra IT employees.
If you run a small- or medium-sized business, you’ve probably heard of Voice over Internet Protocol (or VoIP for short). It’s a technology that’s been around since the late 1990s and that allows users to make and receive phone calls over the internet.