With an increasing number of people setting up their own businesses – either as freelancers, contractors, or a small business – more and more people are working from home.
This means many people are no longer working for companies who have a central IT team or set of systems for their employees to tap into if they want to work from home. Instead the onus is on the individual to set up their own infrastructure to meet the needs of their business.
In the same way that a larger company has responsibilities, so do you as a small business owner – ensuring the security and safety of any data that you manage, ensuring that your systems are secured against cyber breach, knowing what to do if your computer or IT fails and how this feeds in to your business recovery and how to get your business back on track if anything should go wrong.
It is therefore important that you carefully consider your hardware and software needs when setting up your business and review these on a regular basis to ensure that they still meet your needs as, for example, you grow and perhaps take on more employees.
Important areas for home workers to consider
It is important to get your computer and IT set up correctly to maximise your productivity and ensure that you meet your client’s expectations. Here we look at 3 key areas it will be important to consider in protecting you against cybercrime, loss of your business data and to enable you to recovery as quickly as possible if anything should go wrong.
Anti-virus software
Protecting your PC or those of your employees with an anti-virus software will be key. How much you look to pay (or if you use a free to install option) will depend on the type of work you do. If you store sensitive or personal date or store data that is of particular value and therefore more enticing to criminals, then you may want to take steps to invest in a software that offers a higher level of protection. You may find this review of antivirus software useful as a starting point in deciding which option is best for you.
A backup solution
Backing up your data is one of the most important things for any business to do. Without a backup, if anything were to happen to your computer or laptop then all of your data could be lost instantly.
You can use cloud-based systems such as OneDrive for example so that you can still access your files if anything were to happen to your locally stored copies.
It may also be worth considering an external back up though – using hard drives, SD cards, or optical disks for example.
Whatever option you choose, you need to ensure that you back up regularly. Having multiple copies, kept in different locations is often considered the best approach.
A business recovery strategy
As business owner you must understand your risk when it comes to business recovery.
If something were to happen to your systems, how long a recovery time is acceptable to you and your clients? What would happen during the downtime and how would your business cope?
This is where a business recovery strategy comes in. You must look at all of your processes and procedures and identify steps you would take if any of your hardware or software failed, if you were the victim of a cyber attack or if another disaster struck your business.
When it comes to IT this may mean having a second laptop or desktop which you could use if anything failed with your main set up. Along with the ability to easily access the systems you use on a regular basis and restore your data.
Without considering business recovery, you may find yourself in a difficult position if the worst should happen. And businesses who haven’t thought ahead can find it extremely difficult to survive.
At First Recovery we provide disaster protection and peace of mind for your business. We offer two different business recovery packages: one for those employing 1-20 staff and one for those employing 10-100 people. So, whatever the size of your business we will have a solution for you. Get in touch with us today if you would like more information about how we could support your business.