Technology for the Small Business (2004)
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Technology for the Small BusinessDonald E. HesterCISSP, CISA, MCT, MCSE, MCSA, MCDST, Security+, CTT+
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