AI: Of any value to an SMB?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been all the media rage in the past year. Specifically, it isn’t AI in general, but a specific category of AI known as generative AI. This AI is capable of creating content, such as text, images, audio and similar data. Examples of generative AI tools can create content, music, image code, and voice. What this can include are documents that are used for marketing and other content on websites, as well as images, video, and audio. What made generative AI more widespread are the tools that use natural language to utilize them. It doesn’t necessarily require expertise in coding anymore. The generative AI tool that hit the news and has everyone curious about this development is ChatGPT. This allows any user to create conversations, answer text, and similar “written responses.” ChatGPT and similar tools are available to almost anyone.

Of course if you follow the news, there is much excitement about the potential of generative AI. It may be used to facilitate faster customer service, help attorneys evaluate large quantities of legal documents and propose new approaches to cases, medical professionals diagnose, and on and on. It also raises lots of concerns. How does one know that the content created by generative AI is accurate and can be trusted? For instance, can it be used to create misleading information, such as deceptive statements that could alter someone’s understanding of a political, cultural or medical issue. And there are others who worry it could displace whole categories of human workers, but that question isn’t our worry here.

One way you can leverage AI for your benefit is through your Managed Service Provider. Many industries can benefit from the judicious use of AI, such as legal, medical, architectural design, etc. and the IT world is no exception. In particular, AI may be another line of defense in cyber security. Clearly, one of the greatest risks any business faces is cybercrime. Malware, data breaches, ransomware–they all are a business-owner’s nightmare. Ransomware can hold your data hostage. Once attacked, there are very few alternatives to submitting to the ransom request unless you have solid, uncorrupted backups.

AI can help MSPs respond faster to specific threats and concerns, and assist in diagnosis and troubleshooting. Also, as every SMB knows, 24/7 monitoring and support is a critical service that an MSP can provide far more efficiently than a company can do in-house. This has to do with the benefits of economies of scale. AI can improve 24/7 monitoring because AI can evaluate an enormous amount of data, far faster than humans, and likely identify problems before they become business effecting.

One way a small business can utilize AI is marketing and sales. A lot of an SMB’s digital marketing tasks can be time-consuming and easily automated. Drip email campaigns, website visitor tracking, understanding where each customer exists in the sales funnel at any given moment, and other digital tools that increase customer engagement and drive sales are an excellent introduction to AI as a marketing tool. These tools both free up sales and marketing staff for other more complex tasks and improve customer engagement. These tools can be easily deployed by SMBs and are an excellent introduction to AI. Talk to a trusted MSP for guidance. You don’t have to go it alone.

Your business runs on data, but so do the cyber criminals who want to steal yours

One very painful truth about running a business is that you possess data that is attractive to criminals. There is no avoiding that reality. You have data. They want data. It is an ongoing challenge to maintain data security as cyber criminals’ efforts evolve and change on a daily basis. The wall that kept you safe last week may have holes in them today. Keeping up with the latest threats is a specialized field that in-house IT support likely doesn’t have. An MSP can provide the support you need in the face of ransomware threats and other malware. Also, an MSP can provide 24/7 monitoring.

Speaking of data security, brand damage isn’t the only issue with data security breaches. In many cases, there are data protection laws that regulate how you secure personal information. In specific industries there are federal, state, and even overseas regulations that set standards for data protection. How you choose to protect data may be out of your hands. MSPs have the experience and knowledge to address compliance management. For example, there are a number of data protection laws (HIPAA, FERPA, CA Privacy Act, GDPR, FTC Safeguards Rule) out there that not only provide penalties if a data breach occurs, but also mandate specific protocols to better ensure your data is protected. Avoiding a data breach isn’t enough. Some of these protocols can be quite demanding and some require periodic testing and are subject to audits. Samples of the types of requirements mandated by some of these laws may include.

• Designating one individual to oversee data protection and security
• Conducting a risk assessment – This means analyzing what data you possess , where it is stored, and in what ways it is vulnerable.
• Creating safeguards to address all potential areas of vulnerability
• Designing and documenting tools to secure your data and tracking access
• Tracing the location and security of all data whether it is at rest or in transit.

Not only do you have to set up protocols, you may have to prove they are operative and be subject to audits. All of this can be extremely distracting to a small business.

Another area related to data security is the issue of backup and recovery. So much can go wrong. There is nefarious activity: criminals actively trying to break into your data and steal it. There is human error: individuals taking actions that accidently delete or damage data. And of course, hardware can fail and software can have bugs. And, if not done correctly, backups may be infected and be of little value.

An MSP can design backups that are continual and are protected at an offsite location.

More importantly, it isn’t enough to know your data is safe if something happens. Your business is dependent on using that data. Losing a day of access can cripple your business. That means planning for recovery in case something happens. How will you transition to another mode of data access? Your customers expect 24/7 availability. An MSP can develop recovery plans that work to ensure your operations see minimal disruption in the event of a failure.

Strategic IT planning for your business

One thing that the best MSP can do is become a strategic partner. Your expertise is your industry, business, or profession. Trends and innovations in technology aren’t your focus. However, your business can benefit from some long-term strategic planning in terms of the technology you will deploy to remain competitive. New technology will offer new opportunities. An MSP who has experience in your industry can become a partner. After taking the time to learn your business, your goals, and the competitive field in which you operate, an MSP can take a seat at the table of your business planning. At the highest level, this is where a skilled MSP becomes a significant asset as your business grows and faces new market challenges.

Additionally, An MSP can help with other parts of your IT infrastructure to protect your data as well as facilitate more effective collaboration internally as well as with clients. Here are three examples.

Backup and recovery

Another area related to data security is the process of securing your data in the event of theft, a hardware or software issue, or even a natural disaster that cuts access to your data’s physical location. Backing up your data needs to involve a lot more than running nightly backup to an external drive. That may be ok for your home laptop, but it doesn’t cut it if you want to protect your business data. An MSP can support continual data backup to offsite locations. This means at any point there is a system failure or breach, all of your data remains secure at one or more distant locations. Backup also includes recovery. Having your data safely stored in the event of a disaster isn’t enough. Your business will need continuing access to that data. An MSP can develop recovery plans that work to ensure your operations see minimal disruption in the event of a failure. Also, clean backups are critical for avoiding the consequences of a ransomware attack. Poorly handled back procedures can leave your data vulnerable,

Cloud Services

The decision to use cloud services is closely related to data security and cybercrime. Locating all of your data and software applications physically in your own location may seem like the safest thing to do, but that may not be correct. If you utilize cloud storage, you can maintain access to that data from any location. If a natural disaster or other emergency limits access to your physical locations or disables it, your business and employees can access the data from anywhere. Also, the cloud offers economies of scale. To maintain sufficient capacity to meet peak times, maintain all of the necessary hardware and software, and monitor it 24/7 involves considerable in-house labor and capital expense. Migrating to the cloud means you share those fixed costs with others. An MSP can handle selecting and designing a cloud solution most appropriate to the needs of your specific industry and business.

Unified Communications

Unified communications is a service that pulls together the different channels your employees and clients use to collaborate, sell, communicate, etc. Unified communications systems have many moving parts. Encryption, data security, ease of use, cross platform support as well as other support services can create a communications system that works for everyone, no matter what channel they choose to be using.

Like it or not, your business relies on technology

Technology isn’t just something used by Silicon valley firms and large corporations. Even the smallest start-up is now reliant on technology and the virtual marketplace. A business cannot function without operating in the digital world. At the very least, it means having a website, a social media presence and an online database of customers and prospects. Most likely it means conducting business online, which means you’re responsible for the security of client data: names, credit cards, addresses, and probably more information. Much of that information may be personal Information that you have an obligation to keep secure. That duty brings along many challenges because cyber criminals and even benign human error could mean that data is compromised. Data breaches can bring litigation, possible regulatory sanctions, and very importantly, damage to your brand and reputation. Because so much rides on the stability and security of your digital infrastructure, serious attention has to be paid to data security protocols. The problem is, tech is a complex and specialized field that most small businesses owners have little time to focus on. And spending time trying to understand and maintain an IT infrastructure means siphoning off attention to the operation of your business. That is why a Managed Service provider can be a lifesaver for a small business.

A Managed Service provider is an IT consultant that can provide some or all of the support you need for your IT infrastructure. They can provide help with specific issues–migrating data to the cloud, setting up new software and hardware, designing data security protocol, etc,. They can also become a strategic partner. That means they team with you and learn your business goals and plans and help you understand how new and existing technology can help your business expand. They can use their expertise to guide you to new technologies and digital applications you might not be aware of.

Also, you can sign a service contract with an MSP. At the most basic level, a service contract will mean that if you need emergency tech support, you have priority. Otherwise, you will be at the bottom of the list if something goes wrong.

Finally, let’s consider strategic planning. Your business isn’t static, It will grow in volume, it will expand its product and service lines, and it will move into entirely new, unfamiliar markets. There may be new technologies and applications out there that you are unaware of. If you overlook them and your competitors don’t, you can begin to lag behind. You need long-term strategic planning in terms of the technology you will deploy to remain competitive. New technology will offer new opportunities. An MSP who has experience in your industry can become a partner. FInd an MSP who will partner with your business and learn your operations and your future plans. In that way they don’t just support the IT you have now, they become a key voice in strategic planning for future growth.

How Can an MSP Keep Your Business Safe?

Are you a small- or medium-sized business that is in need of a more complete, dependable IT solution to support your business than you presently have? When your main focus is running your business, everything else becomes an afterthought. Other support operations tend to take a backseat. However, your business depends upon a reliable, stable “always running” IT infrastructure and you probably find that isn’t always the case. Even if you have an in-house staff, it isn’t large enough to put out fires and handle strategic planning and provide 24/7 support when something goes wrong. That is why many businesses large and small rely fully or partially on the support of a Managed Service Provider (MSP).

So what are the typical services available from an MSP? There are many different types of support that can be provided to clients. In this e-guide we will break them down.

Managed IT Services

This is the overarching set of services that define the purpose of an MSP. Generally, a business will sign a service level contract with an MSP for a set of defined IT services for a period of time. One advantage typically derived from such an agreement is that the contract provides that you get 24/7 emergency support with priority. Typically, if you have a crisis and call a provider, the non-contract clients take a lower priority. This can mean longer down times and those mean revenue losses. Also, your contract with an MSP means that you can do a better job predicting your IT expenses into the future, and predictability is always a benefit for any enterprise.

Cyber Security Services

One specific area of expertise that everyone needs, no matter how small the business, is up-to-date, ongoing protection against data theft and cyber crimes. An MSP can bring a depth of knowledge that is difficult to create in-house. Ransomware and data theft are rampant. Cyber criminals attack businesses of any size ( in fact, small ones can be more vulnerable. And smaller businesses often don’t have the deep pockets to recover from the revenue losses of a cyber attack). This is a very specialized sector of IT management where businesses frequently choose to use the services of an MSP because of its complexity. Also, keeping up-to-date with the latest malware, and handling 24/7 monitoring can be very labor intensive if done in-house.

Compliance Management

• There are a number of data protection laws (HIPAA, FERPA, CA Privacy Act, GDPR, FTC Safeguards Rule) out there that not only provide penalties if a data breach occurs, many of them mandate specific protocols to better ensure your data is protected. Avoiding a data breach isn’t enough. Some of these protocols can be quite demanding and some require periodic testing and are subject to audits. Samples of the types of requirements mandated by some of these laws may include.
• Designating one individual to oversee data protection and security
• Conducting a risk assessment – This means analyzing what data you possess, where it is stored, and in what ways it is vulnerable.
• Creating safeguards to address all potential areas of vulnerability
• Designing and documenting tools to secure your data and tracking access
• Tracing the location and security of all data whether it is at rest or in transit.

An MSP can be a critical resource in designing these safety measures and ensuring your company is in compliance and remains so. Handling compliance issues and audits can be a big distraction when you are trying to run your business and drive revenues.

Leveraging your business data to drive better business outcomes

Smaller firms may hear about AI and how data is driving the big corporations of the world, but they often don’t realize that they can do the same. The size and age of your business doesn’t have to be a limiting factor in whether you use data. Today’s blog is a quick look at data management for the small firm.

The first lesson is: don’t take your data for granted. The basic business model for some large IT companies is monetizing the data that they collect. While this may not be your goal, you probably collect a great deal of data about your customers, prospects, and operations. An MSP can help you make better use of that data. Here are just three examples:

Marketing

Data tells you who is interested, when they’re interested, and in what they are interested. Data can tell you where each individual prospect sits in the sales funnel, so your marketing messages reach them exactly where they are. It can also track the performance of your online marketing initiatives.

Forecasting and Sales

Customer Relationship Management applications exist because of the data that can now be collected. They monitor sales efforts, nurture leads, and work to improve customer engagement.

In-house and Operations

Data can track all manner of things in your production of goods or services, identifying where resources are being spent in each step of the process. Data can also be used in scheduling and pricing, although these tools can have human resource and customer relations implications that need to be carefully considered.

Planning and the Future

Technology is more than just something to run your business today. It can be a source of innovation for the future of the business, pushing it in new directions. You should be taking a proactive view of technology as a strategic tool for the long-term growth of the business. How can new technology help with in-house software development, infrastructure upgrades, digital transformation, and product innovation? Questions to ask in this context would be “can technology improve the delivery of products and services, or improve qualitatively the nature of the product or service itself?” As part of C-suite plans to stay competitive and thrive in the market, leadership needs to understand what new technologies are available for future innovation. However, that means you need technology support that is focussed on strategic planning; understanding new technologies that can move the business forward. For an SMB, Managed Service Provider can be the CIO/CTO that understands your business and helps plans for the future.

In summary, most SMBs are limited in how they can make use of technology in their strategic planning. As a result, this may compromise their capacity to remain competitive in the long-term. Consider using an MSP as a strategic partner in your long term planning.

Roadmaps for Data Security and for Strategic Planning

It is time you were encouraged to stop looking at the technology you use to run your business as just some reliable piece of invisible infrastructure that hums along in the background.

Instead, business owners should look at technology from a strategic perspective. What can technology do to support business in the future? How can new technology help your present business evolve and adapt to new market demands and customer expectations? For instance, AI is a new technology that may create serious disruption in many industries. Failure to think into the future could put a business at a disadvantage. Unfortunately, most small businesses face two challenges that make it difficult to incorporate new technology into their strategic plans.

1. In-house staff focus more on maintaining existing technology – For many SMBs, in-house IT staff resources are limited. As a result, much of their time and attention must be focused on putting out fires and handling emergencies. Beyond that, day-to-day maintenance and support of your IT infrastructure is probably stretching them past the breaking point.
2. Leadership expertise in SMBs is concentrated entirely on running the business and growing revenues. Very simply, SMB leadership’s skills are in their specific industry. Management needs to be focused on the product or service and driving revenues. The issues get back to “core competencies.” A business that gets distracted from its core competencies may damage its focus on quality and meeting customer expectations.

Because of these two challenges, SMBs tend to not integrate technology into long-term strategic planning. They simply don’t have the luxury of devoting resources to IT planning. There is a solution, however. An MSP has the depth and breadth of resources that you could never hope to build and manage internally. To do so would drain management focus and be financially unsupportable.

What can an MSP bring to a small business? Here are six areas where an MSP can help a small business act strategically and integrate technology into long-term growth plans.

Building a Technology Roadmap

At the heart of a technology roadmap is this question: “Can technology improve the delivery of products and services or improve qualitatively the nature of the product or service itself?” A technology roadmap works to develop a complete, concrete answer to this question. It is a long-term planning document that defines how and what technology should be incorporated into the growth of the business. Individual parts of a roadmap will address specific aspects of the company’s technology such as software development, infrastructure upgrades, digital transformation, and product innovation. A technology roadmap that includes product innovation is especially important. The roadmap may also include research and development initiatives.

Creating a Security Roadmap

A security roadmap is the result of a risk management analysis. By analyzing the vulnerabilities in your IT infrastructure, including cyber security threats, an MSP can create a security roadmap that identifies all the actions that need to be taken to fortify your IT infrastructure as much as possible. Like a technology roadmap, it is a specific plan for ensuring that your data, network hardware and software remains safe from cybercriminals. Data is critical to your business. It is proprietary and it is also very vulnerable to theft. A data breach can be a real threat to the viability of your business. The legal and reputational consequences can take down a small business. A security roadmap can include:

• Determining what regulations govern your data (HIPAA, GDPR, FERPA, etc.)
• Developing access protocols
• Training employees about human vulnerabilities to cybercrimes, such a phishing
• Creating effective backup procedures, which are a particularly important defense against ransomware attacks

An MSP can help you prepare your business for tomorrow’s market

Many small businesses tend to view an MSP as the local fire truck. Available when an emergency happens, they rush in, put out whatever tech fires broke out, and then leave. This is also known as the “break-fix” approach to technical support. However, an MSP can bring many types of value to a small business. In particular, an MSP can function as a strategic partner for a small business. Technology needs to be part of your long-term strategic planning. MSPs have the ability to devote energy to understanding emerging trends that can help your organization develop a “technology roadmap.” This is a long-term strategy document that outlines how and what technology should be used going forward. The roadmap takes a proactive view of technology as a strategic tool for the long-term growth of the business. Individual parts of a technology road map will address specific aspects of the company’s “technology” such as software development, infrastructure upgrades, digital transformation, and product innovation. A technology roadmap that includes product innovation is especially important. Questions to ask in this context would be “can technology improve the delivery of products and services, or improve qualitatively the nature of the product or service itself?” The roadmap may also include research and development initiatives. As part of C-suite plans to stay competitive and thrive in the market, leadership needs to understand what new technologies are available for future innovation.

Here are just a few examples of how an MSP’s specialized staff with expertise can help.

Software Development – Strategic IT should be evaluating the present software applications and addressing improvements and re-designs that will address potential customer demands.

Infrastructure Upgrades as the Business Grows – There are many examples, but a simple one is redundancy. As a business grows, it becomes increasingly important to address redundancy. The larger the business, the more complex the infrastructure becomes. It is important that businesses look throughout the infrastructure and identify the single points of failure that need to be addressed and developing real-time work arounds and disaster recovery plans is an increasingly complex task that requires significant resources and attention.

Digital Transformation – Digital transformation refers to taking tasks and using digital tools to improve efficiency and response. This can mean anything from moving from in-house servers to the cloud, using SaaS, creating online portals for sales and marketing, to just about anything you can imagine. A new example is the use of AI, especially machine learning which can be used to develop more effective inventory planning and offer more precise marketing responses to individual prospects.

Security Roadmaps – A security roadmap is similar to a technology roadmap, but with a very tight focus. Ensuring your data remains safe from cybercriminals, internal error, and software or hardware breakdowns is the goal of a security roadmap. Your data is critical to your business. It is proprietary and it is also very vulnerable to theft. A data breach can be a real threat to the viability of your business. The legal and reputational consequences can take down a small business. A security roadmap can include:

• Determining what regulations govern your data (HIPAA, GDPR, FERPA, etc.)
• Developing access protocols
• Training employees about human vulnerabilities to cybercrimes, such a phishing
• Creating effective backup procedures, which are particularly important defense against ransomware attacks

Data Management: Everyone knows that data is valuable. The basic business model of some of the largest IT companies hinges partly on the value of data for advertising. But for even the smallest business, significant amounts of data can now be collected. An MSP can help an SMB use that data to tighten inventory, for example. Three ways data helps your business succeed.

Marketing – Data tells you who is interested, when they’re interested, and in what they are interested. Data can tell you where each individual prospect sits in the sales funnel, so your marketing messages reach them exactly where they are. It can also track the performance of your online marketing initiatives.

Forecasting and Sales – Customer Relationship Management applications exist because of the data that can now be collected. They monitor sales efforts, nurture leads, and work to improve customer engagement.

In-house and Operations – Data can track all manner of things in your production of goods or services, identifying where resources are being spent in each step of the process. Data can also be used in scheduling and pricing, although these tools can have human resource and customer relations implications that need to be carefully considered.

In short, there are a lot of areas where technology can be used to not only run your business today but can propel your business forward. Technology that is viewed strategically, not just as a tool to get things done today, can drive revenues and help a SMB remain competitive as the market changes. An MSP has the deep experience and resources to understand your business and contribute to your strategic planning at the C-suite level without requiring the resources necessary to build it up from within.

MSPs can focus on issues you don’t have time for

Every business relies on technology to function. From simple things like email, VoIP, and the internet, all the way to predictive analytics for inventory and sales, digital technology is at the root of every business. Unfortunately, no matter how much small- to medium-sized businesses may rely on their IT infrastructure to operate, they often try to “get by” with their in-house IT staff to keep things running. In this blog, we will discuss the value a Managed Service Provider brings to an SMB: a value that cannot be replicated in-house.

First, it is important for a business owner to realize that an IT infrastructure is not a static entity. Nothing is “plug-and-play” in today’s business environment. There is no “build it and forget it.” Because everyone relies on technology that must be running 24/7, businesses need to be proactively monitoring the performance and availability of critical infrastructure, such as servers and networks. There are just so many things a business has to worry about. Cyber criminals are always coming up with new threats, so anti-virus software isn’t enough. Consequently, active endpoint monitoring needs to be happening around the clock.

So, why is an SMB limited in its ability to meet all of its technology needs in-house? One reason is management focus. Business owners need to focus on core competencies. They need to focus on running the business and producing revenue-driving goods or services in their area of expertise. Diverting focus to managing an IT team in-house may not be an ideal use of their time. It may also not be an ideal use of their skills. Additionally, resources are limited, and an SMB loses the advantages of economies of scale when it tries to do everything in-house. In a smaller operation, IT staff often need to focus on day-to-day functions, including putting out fires. This limits their time to think strategically and determine ways that technology can innovate and keep the business competitive in the longer run.

So what can an MSP offer that the in-house IT staff cannot?

A Managed Service Provider is staffed by IT practitioners whose sole focus is technology. Many focus only on specific industries. This means that your MSP organization is composed of individuals who have specialized experience and training in one specific area of technology such as cyber security, cloud computing or network infrastructure. MSPs also have the resources to invest in continuous training and professional development. That means keeping up with the latest developments in technology and emerging trends. If focused on one industry, they analyze competitive changes in that industry and how technology can provide strategic advantages for their clients. MSPs also can set aside time for attending conferences, webinars, and networking events to share knowledge and stay ahead in their field. They are also more likely to have the resources to provide their consultants with access to professional publications and newsletters.

Why is this so important? First, analyzing present problems and performing routine maintenance tasks isn’t necessarily “routine.” New threats and changes can create disruption in existing configurations. (Anyone who has downloaded a new software upgrade is aware of that!) Secondly, in-house tech staff, except for those in the largest organizations, are more task focused than strategic. This isn’t due to a lack of awareness of the value of planning and development. It is primarily a resource problem that is inherent to SMBs. Unfortunately, the result is that in-house staff may not be able to contribute at a strategic level, thus limiting the ability of the organization’s leadership to incorporate new technology into long term plans.