Technology for the Small BusinessDonald E. HesterCISSP, CISA, MCT, MCSE, MCSA, MCDST, Security+, CTT+

DonaldH@MazeAssociates.com

Instructor for Los Medanos College and San Diego City College

IS Manager for Maze & Associates

For SMB Technology can put your business at a

competitive advantage or a competitive disadvantage

The competitive advantage or disadvantage comes from your choices

SMB Goals for Technology Technology is a tool That assists you in meeting your

business objectives Technology should help dentists be

dentists; florists be florists and accountants be accountants

Is technology helping you do your job?

Case Study 1 The small business with 3 Internet browsers Having 3 browsers was not helping them do

their jobs - User confusion lead to lost productivity

3 browsers used more system resources and caused conflicts

Solution a single browser that met all the business needs - Sometimes simple is the best solution

When you buy technology How do most SMB buy technology

Do you buy the biggest and the best? Do you buy the cheapest?

What should you consider when you look at buying technology? What business processes do I want to enhance or

develop? Will this meet my businesses needs? What is the business reason?

Case Study 2 The company the bought the most expensive

financial software Could have got the same functionality cheaper Did not even use all the bells and whistles

The company that bought the cheapest computers Constantly had issues with the hardware and the

manufacturer Ended up spending more in repairs

The nature of technology Technology is constantly changing and

the risks and advantages change with it This requires ongoing processes for

change Failure to dynamically change with

technology can increase the risks of doing business

Smaller businesses are at an advantage because they are more agile than larger organizations

Case Study 3 Adopting new technology to make a

fundamental business process change, not for the sake of it being new technology

Upgrading from Office 2000 to Office 2003 to add collaborative features and more interaction with our clients via the web

Small business that starting using online meeting services to meet with clients rather than costly trips to clients

A complete view Technology does not exist in a vacuum Technology exists in a system The systems include

Users Data Business Partners Customers, Clients Technology Business processes Cell

Tapping the Power Most businesses do not fully use the

potential of the technology they have Most do not know the potential of the

technology they have Training unleashes the potential, Unused

resources are unused potential Many buy the technology but not the

training – that is a mistake

Case Study 4 The business has problems with wireless

networks, users have to change modes in and out of the office and that causes confusion

Wireless network was also wide open for all outsiders to see and hack

Business sends IT staff to wireless network training – 6 months later, no more problems and a secure wireless network

Computer Security Goals of security

Part of all business processes Loss prevention - lost profits and income

Risks Viruses, spy ware, malicious code, systems out of

date, espionage, accidental disclosure, snooping, no backups, theft, natural disasters, exposure to the elements, legal issues, fraud & hackers

Case Study 5 The SMB without a firewall,

Statistically a computer connected to the Internet without protection is compromised within 15 minutes

The SMB without antivirus protection, A firm’s 50 employees sat around for an entire

day while the computers where disinfected – 8 hours of lost productivity x 50 employees = waste

Summary Technology is a tool for your business There should be a good business reason for

the technology – a change of business process Use technology to its fullest potential - the

best way to accomplish that is training Computer systems must be secure – systems

that are not secure increase risk unnecessarily