Has COVID-19 Shone a Light on the Vulnerabilities of IT-Reliant Businesses?

When you evaluate your business model from 2019, both at the time and looking forward, what has changed? For many SMEs, the picture is much different than anticipated. COVID-19 was not a predictable event for most companies that rely on IT, which is why many struggled to adjust.

Even if your company had a disaster recovery plan in place, it likely focused on quickly getting back to business as usual. However, a worldwide pandemic rendered that scenario unworkable in many cases. Working from home was a hasty solution that had implications for cost, productivity, security and other crucial factors.

Having employees accessing sensitive information and systems remotely was never the problem. How that access was facilitated did leave vulnerable businesses to attack, however. Without sufficient security and authentication controls, sensitive data was not safe from hackers or rogue employees.

Most businesses had no other choice but to adapt. While multi-billion-dollar corporations could throw money at the problem, some SMEs were left in a position where accepting security vulnerabilities was the only way to survive.

Hosted IT Services

Once reliance on onsite IT infrastructure became untenable, these small to medium businesses had to make difficult choices. Either continue to risk the health and well-being of employees, or switch to a model that allowed for working remotely and securely from anywhere with an internet connection.

Hardware limitations meant that a large number of these companies could not afford to provide employees with the processing power they needed. A more affordable and effective option involved the use of IT hosted services. With all business software, data and processing taking place on the cloud, smaller businesses were able to afford solutions in the age of COVID-19.

Successful business owners typically run a tight ship, which made shifting to a more remote model stressful and frustrating. However, with the right support protocols in place, having employees working from home or on the move can be beneficial to productivity and customer satisfaction.

An IT help desk service can ensure that accessibility, software and network issues are resolvable in real time. These adjustments were often made possible for businesses on a budget with hosted IT services. The logistics of setting up new processes was handled by a dedicated team of specialists, rather than falling at the feet of employers or in-house members of staff.

Network Access & Control

Working remotely meant handling data on external networks, with no guarantee of security. Without robust protections in place, unprepared companies were running the risk of data breaches that could harm customers, vendors and other business partners.

With Managed IT Solutions, businesses with the least internal resources had the ability to deliver services without fear of compromising data. This was a set of protocols which was essential for any company subject to compliance regulations and laws. In Atlanta, ClubDrive partnered with IT-reliant businesses to ensure that all traffic on internet enabled networks was closely controlled.

Network management and monitoring provides safeguards against opportunistic hackers and other cybercriminals. COVID-19 created a landscape where companies were scrambling to continue providing goods and services, regardless of how the new normal was implemented from a business perspective.

When security is sacrificed for continuity of service, a business is taking unprecedented risks. Those who would breach, manipulate or sell sensitive data understood that industries all over the world were left unprepared for the true impact of the pandemic.

As a business, you owe it to your employees, partners and customers to provide an experience that is safe and satisfactory. If you are concerned about your IT capabilities in a world that continues to face the COVID-19 crisis, call ClubDrive today to speak with one of our specialists.

Posted on behalf of ClubDrive Systems

2964 Peachtree Road NW Suite 440, Atlanta, GA 30305

Phone: (404) 448-3001