As a business owner you’ve probably heard about the advantages of outsourcing to an IT provider. However, choosing the wrong one can have a negative impact on your business. The most common problems organizations face when they outsource to the wrong IT provider include:

Loss of Managerial Control

When you sign a contract allowing a provider to act as your IT department, you’re going to lose managerial control over that specific function.

Many businesses launch social media campaigns to communicate to consumers.  But it’s becoming increasingly popular for business leaders to use this vehicle to communicate to other business leaders.

Social media offers businesses the opportunity to reach out to consumers and businesses alike.

Along with the Christmas shopping rush, business owners and managers are rushing to purchase computers, software and other IT equipment before the the Section 179 deduction allowance expires December 31, 2013.  If you are considering a large technology purchase you should do it now to take advantage of this special 100% tax deduction.

Your business could face a variety of security threats in 2014 as cyber-attacks become more innovative and sophisticated. As a business owner, you must improve your security to prepare for the potential security threats of 2014:

BYOD

The BYOD trend is increasingly common in today’s workplace.

Today’s evolving data sources bring many challenges for businesses in all industries. However, banks in particular face significant challenges with the massive amounts of data coming from new forms of customer interaction, such as online, over the phone, and in writing.

Information technology has impacted the automotive industry in a variety of ways. For example, IT has made advancements deep in the infrastructure of vehicles themselves, with emissions control, entertainment, safety features, and more. In addition, IT has impacted the relationship between dealers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and customers.

Microsoft recently announced that 11 new security updates will be released on the 10th of December. The security updates will address vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer, Exchange, and Office, with one update to stop active attacks. With these security updates, Microsoft’s total count of updates for the year will reach 106, a 28% increase from 2012.

Out of the 11 updates, six will be labeled as “important” and five will be labeled as “critical,” the top ranking in Microsoft’s scoring system.

Your business is are operating in uncertain technological times, and because of this you’re exposed to increased risks due to cybercrime, viruses, power outages and other manmade or natural disasters. It’s essential that you ensure robust processes are in place to minimize IT risk whenever possible to protect your business, your reputation and your livelihood.

(Dec. 5, 2013)— According to a report today from security firm Trustwave, over two million user passwords for social media sites were compromised, including Facebook, Google, Twitter and LinkedIn. The password information was posted on a Russian website and contained personal login information.

Microsoft has been reminding us about the end of Windows XP for a while now, yet there are still businesses out there using it that shouldn’t be.  In fact, Windows XP holds 31.22% market share, falling shortly behind Windows 7 at 46.64%.

On April 8th, 2014, Microsoft will end support for Windows XP. These businesses will be in dire need when this happens because Windows XP:

Will no longer receive security updates after the April 8th.