The National Cancer Institute, right here in our home state of Maryland, recently analyzed data from three major US health studies. These studies gathered information on people’s daily multivitamin use. They discovered that people who took daily multivitamins had a 4% higher mortality rate than those who didn’t. Surprisingly, this result echoes a scene from the movie Grumpy Old Men, where a character explains that, despite never exercising and having unhealthy habits, he has outlived many who followed strict health regimens.
This highlights a crucial point: shortcuts to achieving meaningful, difficult goals often backfire.
In various aspects of life, including diet, we see that easy solutions can lead to significant problems. For example, “fat-free” or “sugar-free” labels might encourage overconsumption, negating their benefits. The Atkins diet, promising easy weight loss by avoiding carbs, led to various health issues due to an imbalanced intake.
In the IT world, shortcuts are equally perilous.
Many businesses attempt to meet compliance requirements or protect themselves from data breaches by taking the easiest, cheapest routes. Simply relying on free antivirus or firewall software found through a quick search, and completely underestimating the risks, is a common mistake. Small businesses often believe they are too insignificant to be targeted, but cybercriminals target precisely these businesses, knowing they are less likely to have robust protections in place.
Another frequent error is entrusting the management of a business’s IT to an acquaintance or someone with only “basic” tech knowledge but lacking professional expertise. When businesses upgrade to professional IT services, numerous inefficiencies and vulnerabilities are typically discovered. The issue is not the intent but the lack of necessary skills and resources, which significantly increases risk.
All shortcuts don’t have to be detrimental, though.
Entrusting IT matters to an experienced managed services provider can be the optimal “easy button.” By partnering with professionals who understand your industry and its specific requirements, you can achieve compliance, security and operational efficiency without the associated stress.
Choosing the right IT provider is crucial. History shows us that experts can be convincing even when wrong, as demonstrated by past medical practices like lobotomies or financial scams like Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. Therefore, it’s vital to thoroughly vet potential IT partners, ask pertinent questions and seek testimonials from other clients.
When deciding which IT provider to let handle your network, take it seriously. Don’t blindly follow ANYONE’S advice. It’s not your responsibility to know every technical thing that needs to happen with your network, but it is your job to ask questions, request client testimonials and hire someone trustworthy. Your company’s security, reputation and, possibly, future depend on you not letting the wrong person come in and muck up your business.
That’s one of the reasons we provide you with a FREE guide that you can get here (from our sibling company, Atlantic Technology Services) that lists out 16 questions you need to ask anyone before you let them touch your network. It’s a great resource for every business owner to have.
Ready to handoff your IT to a reliable provider?
If you’re ready to hand off your IT to a reliable team of experts, our sibling company, Atlantic Technology Services is ready to manage your network so you can focus on growing your business. Schedule a consultation to see what your next steps could look like. Our experts will dig into your system and processes and determine what technology needs updating so your business can run smoother and be more productive. To book a consultation, call 410-860-9899 or click here to schedule a meeting.
Fortifi Cyber Security can help to handle your IT security and help your organization protect itself against cyber threats with world-class, highly-affordable security services. Call today at 888-500-9111 or sign up for a free vulnerability test.
