Top 5 IT Mistakes Liverpool Small Businesses Make (and how to avoid them)

Common IT pitfalls for SMEs

According to a recent Samsung poll of 1,000 SME owners:

• IT issues cost small British businesses £299,624 a year.
• 47% of SMEs admit they’ve tried to cut corners on tech quality, only to spend over £3,200 each year on repairs and updates.
• SMEs would lose over £200,000 a year if their work tech was inaccessible.

E2E Technologies is a Managed IT provider in Liverpool. We help Liverpool businesses to maintain robust IT infrastructures, keep pace with technology advancements and avoid making the typical mistakes that cause costly IT issues.

Mistake 1: Not backing up data

Your data should be backed up regularly to protect the business against data loss. You may think that cyberattacks are the number one enemy here, but in fact it’s human error. And we all know how easily that can happen! Cyberattacks, faulty technology, natural disasters, power cuts and theft are also accountable for data loss.

Put simply, not backing up your data can shut your business down. At the very least it halts productivity which can cost you dear. The loss of personal data also damages your reputation with both suppliers and customers which is an additional long term cost.

The solution

Backup your data regularly. You have various options available to you:

• Backup software can be customised to back up your data across multiple devices
• Cloud storage can be used to back up data online. If you’re looking for versatility and scalability this is probably the best option for you.
• Backup hardware such as servers can be installed on site to be programmed to automatically backup data at regular intervals (usually daily). These are vulnerable, however, to natural disasters such as fires
• External hard drives can be backed up, taken off site and changed over the next day

For more information on backing up your data, read our recent article.

Mistake 2: Weak password policies

Weak password policies put SMEs at considerable risk of cyberattacks that lead to data breaches, account takeover attacks and identity theft. Employee sabotage is also an IT security threat enhanced by weak passwords.

Typically, weak passwords will be short, simple or predictable:

• Short – each additional character makes your passwords harder to crack
• Simple – a lack of different character types such as uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols makes the password less complex and easier to decode
• Predictable – common names, dates and sequences are a hacker’s first port of call.

The solution

Weak password policies tend to give employees free rein over the passwords they choose. Rules about passwords should be enforced with adequate automatic controls in place to ensure those rules are adhered to.

Password managers are an option for creating a robust password policy that protects your business and its data.

Mistake 3: Ignoring software updates

Software updates are a crucial line of defence against cyberattacks. Hackers don’t rest! They’re constantly looking for new ways to attack business IT systems. Software updates are implemented in response to intelligence around new threats, and install software to keep those threats at bay.

Legal and regulatory standards, particularly of regulated industries such as finance or healthcare, stipulate that software should be up to date for adequate security.

The solution

Whenever a software update is required, it should be implemented immediately.

Mistake 4: Lack of cybersecurity training

Cybersecurity training is central to protecting your IT infrastructure. There is little point in implementing IT safety measures at a system level if your staff do not understand the importance of proactive cybersecurity practices. Particularly now in a time of increased home and hybrid working, staff need to be vigilant and understand the consequences of a security breach.

The solution

Incorporate cybersecurity training into your onboarding process and provide regular update training to avoid employees becoming complacent.

Mistake 5: DIY IT support

Without professional IT support it is difficult for SMEs to keep up with rapidly changing technologies. A DIY approach to IT therefore makes SMEs vulnerable and often involves skipping best practices around operations, regulations and compliance which can be dangerous.

Without expertise in IT infrastructures, company management teams are unlikely to understand what their business needs from their IT systems, where their priorities should be and how to safely implement changes such as up or downscaling operations.

The solution

Work with IT support professionals to optimise the capacity of your systems, promptly resolve issues with minimum downtime, enhance security and save considerable time and money.

How managed support can help avoid these mistakes

The mistakes outlined above all create significant IT challenges for SMEs that impact the rest of the business. Managed IT support can help you to avoid costly mistakes by professionally managing your IT infrastructure, training and cybersecurity on your behalf.

It’s worth noting that the research by Samsung identified the top technology challenges facing SMEs as:

• Slow internet or connectivity issues
• High costs of upgrading or replacing outdated tech
• Technical glitches disrupting operations
• Need for employee training on tech use
• Cybersecurity threats
• Struggling to keep up with industry tech trends
• Software or hardware compatibility issues
• Lack of support or resources for tech management
• Cloud service issues like downtime or security
• Inadequate backup and recovery plans

A managed IT provider will take care of all these issues to help you avoid making typical SME IT-related mistakes and protect your productivity and bottom line.

Contact E2E Technologies to find out how we support Liverpool businesses like yours through the provision of essential proactive, managed IT solutions.