Here are five reasons why you should invest in a CRM system:

1. PROVIDE BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE

CRM systems let staff members quickly and efficiently access information. This ability to easily find a customer’s details means that your company can provide a higher level of customer service. With a CRM system, your customers will never end up in a situation in which they explain their details to one customer service representative only to have to go through them again when a different customer service representative answers the phone the second time they call in.

2. GET A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF YOUR AUDIENCE

Sometimes it can be difficult to take a step back and look at the big picture. Thankfully, this is not a problem if you use a CRM system. You will be able to view the details of all your customers as a group. You can then divide them into different subsets based on characteristics such as location and purchase histories.

By analyzing your audience like this, you can identify business trends. You can then use this information to find new customers and keep existing ones.

3. CREATE EFFECTIVE MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

Some CRM systems let you develop, test, deploy, and measure the results of marketing campaigns. The results can help you determine which marketing campaigns are the most effective. For instance, you might discover that your email campaigns are more successful than your direct mail ones. In light of this information, you might decide to invest more in email marketing in the future.

4. TRACK IMPORTANT FINANCIAL METRICS

Some CRM systems integrate with companies’ financial software. This integration lets you keep track of revenue and operating costs as they relate to sales and performance metrics.

5. PROVIDE AUTOMATED TOOLS TO HELP STAFF MEMBERS DO THEIR JOBS

Many CRM systems include automated tools that can help keep your staff members at the top of their game. These tools can be as simple as an automatic alert feature that reminds sales representatives to reach out to a prospective customer after a month or two.

There are also more sophisticated automated tools. Some CRM systems have tools that automatically send marketing materials to potential customers through email or social media sites. There are even tools to automatically track all communication between sales representatives and customers.

Sophisticated CRM systems may require an experienced professional to configure them correctly. Talk to your IT provider for guidance.

In addition, IT policies detail consequences for employees or customers in the event of a policy violation. The proper enforcement of IT policies may also provide a basis for defense in the event of a lawsuit.

Here are six common IT policies to help protect your company:

1. ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

An acceptable use policy, or AUP, restricts use of a company’s network or services. AUPs prevent illegal activity, ensure security, and safeguard the reputation of the company.

AUPs also outline the consequences of breaking the rules. A common penalty is restricted or permanent loss of access to the associated network or service.

2. PRIVACY POLICY

Privacy policies protect the personal information collected from a company’s customers and employees. Personal information includes anything that can be used to identify an individual. Names, social security numbers, credit card numbers, email addresses, and even photos of individuals are considered personal information.

Privacy policies typically document how personal information is collected, stored, used, and disposed of. Privacy policies may also disclose when personal information is shared or sold to third parties.

3. DATA GOVERNANCE POLICY

Data governance policies describe how data is managed as it passes through company systems. Specifically, these policies document how a company makes sure that data is accessible and secure, as well as accurately collected and properly maintained.

Data governance policies also identify the people responsible for the quality and security of company data. They might also mention any third parties that play a role in the company’s data management plans.

4. DISASTER RECOVERY POLICY

A disaster recovery policy outlines the broad requirements of a company’s disaster recovery plan. These policies identify critical data and responsible departments or staff. They also specify allowable downtime, as well as how to ensure business continuity in the event of downtime.

Disaster recovery plans are usually created by senior IT staff. However, the specifics of data recovery plans are normally left to those designing and executing the plan.

5. BYOD POLICY

A BYOD policy, or Bring Your Own Device policy, is an IT policy that governs the use of personal mobile devices in the workplace. BYOD policies are becoming increasingly important, with study after study showing the dramatic shift of personal mobile devices into the workplace.

Specifically, BYOD policies state the degree to which personal mobile devices are allowed within the workplace, what can be done with these devices, and how the company will support them.

6. SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

Social media policies govern employee use of social media both in and out of the workplace. These policies define how a company will manage and monitor the online behavior of it’s employees. They also set forth any company expectations regarding the nature and tone of information being posted.

As a result, social media policies are sometimes perceived as repressive. However, they can actually empower employees by letting them know what can and cannot be posted. Striking a balance between the needs of the company and employees is the key to a successful social media policy.

Email mistakes in particular stand out as significant causes of data breaches. While these mistakes are understandable in many cases, they are still very costly.

MAJOR EXAMPLES OF EMAIL MISTAKES

One notable example of an email mistake that caused a data breach involved the Goldman Sachs investment management firm. In June 2014, a Goldman Sachs contractor accidentally sent a message to a gmail.com email address instead of the corresponding gs.com email address. The latter email address is connected to the company’s in-house email network.

The email contained a confidential document, and the mistake sent Goldman Sachs scrambling for a solution. To prevent the gmail.com recipient from opening the message, Goldman Sachs took Google to the New York State Supreme Court. In its petition, the investment management firm said that the message contained “highly confidential brokerage account information” and asked Google to help it prevent a “needless and massive” data breach.

The case was unprecedented, in that Goldman Sachs argued that email senders should have the right to “unsend” an email if it was sent by mistake. In the end, however, the court did not have to rule on the case, since Google voluntarily blocked the recipient’s access to the email.

Another noteworthy email mistake occurred in April 2014. An employee at the risk advisor and insurance brokerage firm Willis North America accidentally sent a spreadsheet to a group of employees enrolled in the company medical plan’s Healthy Rewards Program. The spreadsheet contained confidential information, including employees’ names, email addresses, birthdates, Social Security numbers, employee ID numbers, office locations, and the details of their medical insurance plans.

Willis North America agreed to pay for 2 years of identity theft protection for the 4,830 people affected by the breach. Although the leaked information did not include details about the victims’ health conditions or the health information of their dependents, Willis North America was still cited for violating the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

A similar incident occurred in September 2013, when a Cisco employee accidentally sent an email to a “sept_training1” mailing list. The list included thousands of other Cisco workers. A large number of these workers replied to the email by asking to be removed from the list, and many of them accidentally clicked “Reply All” when responding to the message. This resulted in millions of unwanted email messages taking up space on Cisco’s network. The mistake severely damaged the employees’ productivity, and cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars.

THE COSTS OF EMAIL MISTAKES

According to the Ponemon Institute, data breaches caused by careless human error cost companies on average $117 per compromised record. If an email mistake affected thousands of people, as was the case for Willis North America, then it could result in sizable losses. Several issues can cause these high costs.

As the Cisco case showed, losses in productivity can cost a company a significant amount of time and money. Another cost stems from paying for identity theft protection for the victims. Additionally, if the email mistake led to a data breach, then the company could find itself facing lawsuits or punitive fines. Data breaches like these could also reveal sensitive company information to the general public.

Email mistakes, especially those that cause data breaches, can also tarnish a company’s reputation, which can lead to lost business opportunities. As one example, Goldman Sachs faced substantial damage to its reputation after its email-related data breach in 2014.

AVOIDING CARELESS MISTAKES

To prevent any mistakes, create clear-cut policies and procedures about sending emails, especially those with sensitive information. You’ll also need to educate your staff members about the problems caused by carelessly sending emails. Employees are more likely to think twice about sending a message when they know just how costly a mistake can be.

By the same token, you should develop a workplace environment in which employees feel comfortable talking about their IT concerns. By making your staff members feel comfortable about discussing these issues, you can improve the odds that one of them will ask a question that could avert a mistake.

Data loss prevention (DLP) software can also help in this regard. This software can stop employees from sending confidential information by accident. Look to your IT staff or service provider for help when searching for a DLP solution that matches your individual needs.

Here are three things you can do to protect your business before the cloud goes down.

1. Make sure employees have software options that are not cloud-based. This way, they can perform essential functions even if the cloud is down. For example, back up files to a local networked drive or jot down notes in a traditional ledger. These options aren’t always possible for complex services. Yet, local backups are often enough for many companies to survive short-term cloud outages.

2. Have a fallback or secondary cloud that can take over if the primary fails. If your cloud services handle mission-critical processes or information that can’t be locally backed up, this option is essential.

3. Train employees on disaster mitigation plans. Keep any guides and training materials related to the process you now host in the cloud that predate the move to a cloud solution.

While cloud service providers have made our lives easier, risks remain. The biggest risk is that businesses may rely too heavily on the cloud and believe it replaces, rather than supplements, existing systems. However, with the common sense methods above, a cloud outage will not be any worse for your business than a power outage. In fact, it could be far less worse: at least the coffee machine still works without the cloud.

Modern technological developments have made it possible even for mid-range and small-scale businesses to implement such solutions. Today, a document management system (DMS) is essential for every business that wants to increase its efficiency and productivity. Let us look at some of the benefits you will reap if you decide to use a document management system.

DIRECT BENEFITS

No storage issues: In today’s world, every square-foot of space counts. So you would not want file cabinets taking up the precious space in your office. However, as your paper work builds up, you will require more space for these cabinets. This can troublesome for any business that wants to grow. The perfect answer for this problem is a document management system. With a DMS, you can store all your documents in a disk no larger than a few square inches.

Easier handling: Searching through a huge pile of files and paper can be extremely annoying at times. What is more problematic is that if a particular file or paper is being used, someone else who requires it cannot access it. A DMS makes such a task extremely simple. You can access any document you want to without even leaving your workstation. In addition, the same file can be viewed by multiple people without disrupting your work.

Better search options: Using a DMS, you can greatly reduce the time it takes for searching documents. A good DMS allows you to search for electronic documents based on the text inside them, something that is not possible with your paper-based documents. It also allows you to sort the documents under various categories, something that would require you to make multiple copies when dealing with paper.

Sharing is easy: When dealing with paper documents and microfilms, sharing can be quite a tedious task. With a DMS, you can simply share copies of the electronic documents with clients or colleagues through emails or a network. This saves a lot of money, which would otherwise have been spent on copying and postage. You should also remember that sharing takes place instantly through DMS, which is not the case when you send a document through postal services.

Reduced security concerns: A DMS offers greater control over your documents. It allows you to customize settings so that only selected people can view certain files. Traditional file cabinets, however, provide the same level of security for all the documents stored within them. Also, a DMS allows you to track the people who have viewed and changed a file. It also gives you details about the date and time when the changes were made.

Disaster management and lost files: Hard copies are prone to damage because of fire, floods and other natural disasters. DMS is a great way to secure the data against such natural calamities, as it allows you to backup your data easily.

INDIRECT BENEFITS

Apart from those listed above, there are several other benefits of using a DMS. Firstly, the return on investment (ROI) is great. The software and the data storage options might seem a bit expensive in the beginning, but you can see the financial benefits of using a DMS in less than a year.

Switching to a computerized system makes it a lot easier for you to distribute information to customers and also reduces your response time significantly. In today’s competitive business environment, using a DMS is essential if you want to stay ahead of the competition.

For a few years after the release of an operating system, Microsoft provides users with updates and extensive customer support options. This stage of the operating system’s lifecycle is known as the mainstream support period. After the mainstream support period, the operating system enters an extended support period. At this point, Microsoft only offers extended customer support and key security patches. As a general rule, both the mainstream support and extended support periods each last five years, although Microsoft will sometimes extend them.

After the extended support period, Microsoft stops providing security updates for the operating system. These updates are crucial for cyber security since they patch security holes. Customers who are still using a Microsoft product after the end of support often find themselves in a difficult dilemma. They must find an alternative to the product or risk cyber security breaches.

LEARNING FROM THE 2014 MICROSOFT XP CRISIS

As of July 2014, an estimated 24 million servers worldwide were using Windows Server 2003. Unless action is taken, these servers will be vulnerable to cyber attacks when support for the operating system ends.

A similar situation occurred before the end of support for Windows XP. Businesses across the world scrambled to keep their systems safe before the deadline. Many rushed to find an alternative operating system. Others entered into expensive custom service agreements with Microsoft. Custom service agreements can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and are little more than stopgap solutions as businesses eventually must upgrade.

The end of support for Windows XP also presented problems in terms of hardware and software. With regards to hardware, Windows XP drivers were unlikely to be available again. New hardware would either not function, or function in a very limited way using old drivers. Moving forward, software would also fail to support Windows XP, and even worse, old software could become an entry point for malware.

The best course of action in these situations is to find an alternative operating system, preferably well before the deadline. This process, of moving from one operating system to another, is called migration.

MIGRATION

Migration is a multi-step procedure that can take several months to complete. According to the Microsoft Migration Planning Process, the main phases include planning, preparing, coexisting, and finally, migrating. Each of these phases contains numerous steps.

During migration, a company must select an alternative to their existing technology. Newer server operating systems like Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2 are viable alternatives to Windows Server 2003. Shifting services into the cloud is another option, especially for companies looking to move away from physical servers.

Choosing the right approach to migration is tremendously important. After all, this choice will guide a company’s direction for years to come. As such, decision-makers should look to IT professionals for guidance and help.

Businesses that do nothing at the Windows Server 2003 end of support will increase their odds of facing a cyber criminal attack. Nevertheless, there are some measures that can be taken to mitigate the security risks. These include isolating weak points, preventing infiltration, and minimizing the impact of security breaches. While such efforts are not as effective as migration, they can limit cyber security dangers.

CONCLUSION

The end of support for Windows Server 2003 presents a challenge for many businesses. However, the key to managing this situation is developing a course of action that minimizes both data loss and impact on the business.

Contact an experienced IT service provider to get started as soon as possible.

Whether you find a bit of confusion surrounding the new licensing terms a small hindrance or a deal breaker, you owe it to your company to check out all this suite of services has to offer.

OFFICE 365 OFFERINGS FOR BUSINESS

Office 365 for Business features cloud-based online versions of SharePoint, Lync, and Exchange, as well as the standard Office web applications you’ve come to know like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Additional applications, such as Access, InfoPath, Active Directory integration and other tools are available, too, depending on which version your subscribe to.

The update also includes a set of new versions of Office for small and midsize businesses and the Office 365 ProPlus package, which offers enterprise users the full versions of the standard Office applications as a service for up to five devices costing $144 per user per year.

The ProPlus package is also included in Microsoft’s Office 365 Enterprise offerings, as well as the new Office 365 Midsize Business package. The Midsize Business version is intended for companies with between ten and 250 employees. This version of Office 365 comes with simplified IT tools for understaffed IT departments in smaller companies. The edition costs $180 per user for an annual subscription.

If your company has only one to ten users, Microsoft now offers a plan for $150 per user per year focusing mostly on email, calendars, video conferencing, and website tools.

As you can see, Microsoft has tried to create an Office 365 to fit organizations of all sizes, and priced its offerings to fit them as well. But, for the small business, Microsoft’s revamped Office 365 plans offer smart value, making their subscription-based service worthy of a second look.

OFFICE 365: WHY THE FIT WITH SMALL BUSINESSES IS JUST RIGHT

Office 365 offers a low upfront cost because small businesses can sign up with a plan that meets their exact requirements for a predictable monthly fee. This option is much more budget-friendly than setting aside funds to purchase new hardware, servers, software licenses, and CALs for the required server OS and Exchange Server — a large upfront investment that could cost a small business thousands of dollars.

The customizable licensing plans also fit perfectly with a BYOD working environment, as they allow employees to install the desktop apps on up to five devices per user.

Finally, Hosted Exchange is a bargain, thanks to Exchange for the cloud. While the service used to cost about $20-$25 per user per month, market pressure for cloud services has forced Microsoft to redesign Exchange for the cloud. Now, companies can get a robust Microsoft-hosted Exchange Online service for as low as $4 per person per month.

As you can see, Office 365 offers a world of applications and services that are becoming more affordable for small businesses with every iteration. Ask your provider how you can customize these services to fit your organization perfectly, and give this powerful suite another look if you are still shopping for an IT solution.

The Gartner research firm expects worldwide IT spending to reach $3.7 trillion in 2015, up 2.1% from 2014. Another positive trend involves the estimations of chief information officers. According to the latest poll from CIO magazine, 47% of CIOs expect their IT budgets to grow. The poll found that overall IT spending was anticipated to increase by about 5%.

Likewise, the advisory company CEB’s IT Budget Benchmark survey indicated a median growth of 3.3% in worldwide IT spending for 2015. This is the highest growth rate in 5 years.

Moreover, as new opportunities emerge, many companies will be expanding their IT spending throughout the year. CEB expects the actual growth to be closer to 5%, in line with CIO’s estimate.

In a similar survey of global IT professionals by Tech Pro Research, 4 out of 5 respondents indicated that their IT budgets for 2016 would be equal to or higher than the 2015 level. Nearly half reported that it would be slightly or significantly higher.

But what is particularly noteworthy is how companies are spending their budgets. The growth in technology expenditure shows that IT is now being seen as equal to, or more important than, other business units.

CHANGING IT PRIORITIES

The IT focus of many companies is shifting from tactical and operational issues to strategic and organizational priorities. More businesses are investing in technology to support growth opportunities and improve efficiency.

This results in a more strategic and business-focused IT strategy. According to a joint publication from TechRepublic and ZDNET, 68% of companies said that their IT departments were contributing more to accomplishing business objectives than they were three years ago.

In the survey by Tech Pro Research, almost two-thirds of respondents said that improving efficiency and business processes was a major priority. Productivity was another big issue. Nine out of ten respondents said that increasing productivity through technology was a medium or major priority.

The CIO magazine poll found that companies are changing the way they view IT. Business leaders are moving their tech budgets from core business concerns to edge concerns, like mobile, customer relationship management, and cloud computing. Over half of the poll’s respondents are planning IT budget increases in applications, and 41% intend to spend more on newer products.

Similarly, the CEB survey showed that one-third of the global IT budget in 2015 went toward innovation and business opportunity. Fifty-seven percent was allocated for maintenance and mandatory compliance activities, down from 63% in 2011.

TECH DOLLARS HEADING TO CYBER SECURITY, BIG DATA, MOBILE AND THE CLOUD

Business analytics and big data, cloud computing, cyber security, mobile, and shared services will be leading areas for IT spending in 2015.

With mobile devices continuing to proliferate, companies are expected to increase their focus on meeting customers’ needs in several contexts. These new requirements will force businesses to adapt their overall approach to mobile. User experience in particular is likely to receive more attention in 2016.

Cloud computing has advanced in tandem with mobile devices. Companies will need to use the cloud to address external business processes and other gritty issues that have eluded internal enterprise systems for years. As companies seek to remain competitive, cloud-based solutions will likely help with productivity, efficiency, and easing product launches.

Investments in big data are expected to help in this regard. Many companies are looking to use analytics in order to make better business decisions, improve marketing efforts, and enhance customer experience.

The rise in cyber security threats is anticipated to drive more spending on protection against hackers. Many companies will invest a sizable part of their IT budgets on the security of their data, networks and computer infrastructure.

To make room in the budget for these expenditures, businesses are looking to save money. As part of their cost-cutting efforts, many companies have already moved some of their IT and business functions to an outsourcing and/or shared services model.

These restructuring plans are aimed at providing more standardized IT processes, a higher degree of automation, and a reduction in operating costs. Analysts expect this trend to grow in 2016.

RESHAPING THE STRATEGIC ROLE OF IT IN THE BUSINESS WORLD

Infrastructure and security still remain fundamentally important considerations. However, business improvement has now become the core mission of IT for organizations both big and small.

Companies are recognizing the need to harness new technologies. They are incorporating IT into their overall strategies, both to maintain their current systems and to pursue innovation.

Technology now plays a role in every facet of a company. As a result, businesses can no longer afford to disconnect IT from their decision-making processes.

Those that fail to mesh their tech considerations with their business agendas put themselves at a competitive disadvantage. This conservative attitude can be the biggest constraint to facilitating growth through bolder investments in IT.

Before 2002, Microsoft phased out products with little warning. Businesses would scramble to update their systems. Thanks to customer feedback, Microsoft created a more transparent and predictable end-of-life (EOL) schedule. This schedule gives customers time to plan for migration to newer operating systems. Microsoft offers mainstream support for 5 years with another 5 years of extended support. During the mainstream support phase, Microsoft services all aspects of their software products. In the extended support phase, Microsoft continues to offer support. Yet, they no longer honor warranty claims, design changes, and feature requests. The updated version of Windows Server 2003 came to market in 2005, hence the July 2015 end-of-life.

So what can business owners expect in a post-EOL era for Windows Server 2003? For starters, Microsoft and third-party security software will no longer offer automatic security updates. This means no new security patches, virus definition updates, exploit reports, and security warnings. Servers running Windows 2003 will be defenseless against malware and other attacks. Businesses can bet that hackers have been actively preparing for Windows Server 2003 EOL.

To make matters worse, hardware and software manufacturers have little reason to continue updating or creating Windows Server 2003 products past its EOL. Once your system breaks, the only options will be to repair it yourself or search the web for legacy parts. Replacing worn down or broken components is possible, but may take hours of work. And you may still face limited functionality. What’s more, software and other applications will no longer be updated. Any new functionality that didn’t exist prior to July 2015 can only be added with costly, custom development.

Depending on the size and needs of your business, there are ways to avert disaster before the EOL date. For businesses with limited time, the best option is to replace your aging server with a newer one, and then install a more up-to-date version of Windows Server. With this option, you replace hardware and software at the same time. This translates to less time spent upgrading, fewer disruptions, and better performance.

Another option is to simply upgrade your software. This will only work if your hardware is recent enough to support newer versions of Windows Server.

Budget-conscious business owners might need a mixed approach, with some hardware and some software upgrades. The best strategy for your company will depend on a set of factors unique to your organization. Examples include the capital you can invest in upgrades, the amount of service disruption you can afford, and the capabilities of your IT staff.

Whatever option you choose, it’s critical to plan now. According to Microsoft, most companies take anywhere from 18 to 32 months to execute a successful migration. From that perspective, July 2015 is approaching fast. How many critical business processes take place on your company’s servers? For most, the reality is you can’t afford to be unprepared.

Here are 4 common IT mistakes that small companies should avoid:

1. FAILING TO PLAN FOR GROWTH

Many small companies fail to properly account for IT within their growth strategy. Successful small companies tend to make ongoing investments in hardware, software and support. It’s recommended to invest in IT solutions that can expand alongside a company over at least a 1 year horizon. Doing so may seem more expensive at first, but it’s a must more cost-effective plan in the long term.

2. BUYING THE WRONG IT SOFTWARE AND EQUIPMENT

Money can be tight for a small business, but cutting corners on IT is generally a poor place to save.

Low-cost and consumer-grade products might seem attractive, but they’re rarely designed to handle the needs of a growing small business. For instance, business-grade software considers the unique interactions among employees, teams, customers and partners. Business-grade equipment also has special considerations, such as reduced downtime and higher performance.

3. FAILURE TO KEEP UP WITH CHANGING TECHNOLOGY

IT is the most rapidly changing and evolving industry in the world. Keeping up with the latest advances can be a full time job, but all employees should allocate some time in their schedules to do so.

Staff should receive continuing education to ensure they are efficiently using the resources provided to them by management. Not only will these skills boost their productivity and efficiency, but they will likely enhance their understanding of IT security as well.

However, staff aren’t the only ones who need to stay up-to-date on IT trends; management also needs to stay ahead of the curve. Management should familiarize themselves with the latest technology, along with the costs and benefits of each. Failure to do so can lead to missed opportunities to reduce costs and increase productivity.

4. MISMANAGING SECURITY

Until recently, small companies made for unlikely hacking targets. With limited resources and lax security, they were considered easy, yet unproductive targets. However, all of this changed in recent years. Symantec and others have reported a sharp rise in attacks on small companies.

To avoid disasters and save money, small companies should invest in security from the start. Password managers, firewalls, anti-malware programs and antivirus programs are just a few security measures that small businesses should consider when locking down assets.