The Datamax Thinking Blog

While the series of events surrounding COVID-19 may leave business owners seemingly with their hands tied, there are proactive steps that can alleviate concerns, ensure healthy practices, and sustain productivity for the days and weeks ahead.

As our nation and our world continues to deal with the coronavirus and its impact, small businesses find themselves on the front lines of this outbreak.

So, consider this bit of recent history ... 29% of IT professionals report their clients have encountered ransomware that specifically targeted Office 365.

I must say, I love history. For humanity's sake, I deeply hope it’s never rewritten.  I’m not entirely sure whether my interest lies in the fun and fascination of discovery, or the fear of repeating failures it documents.  One thing’s for sure, as summed up by Edmund Burke, “Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.”  

No doubt, a truth proven over and over again.

So here’s a bit of history (2,000 years in the making) every business should consider as it prepares to compete and/or to defend its resources — the focus of this blog.

Every business needs to be secure today. Data backup and disaster recovery are key tools to keep your office safe and in business.

If you’re reading this, you understand that your business or office depends on information technology (IT) to function.

As businesses of every size rely ever more on IT, there are two functions IT performs essential to a business’ ability to function:

1. a robust, secure data network
2. continued access to vital business information and documents

No network and no access to information equals no business.

You have a lot of options on the market when you make a technology purchase. The best solution for your business isn't determined solely by the price, the feature set, or how fast the vendor gets it to your doorstep.

Every year, I learn more about copiers, document management, workflow, and, increasingly, managed IT topics.

I do my best to pass on what I learn to you.

Here are the 11 most popular posts in 2017. They cover a range of topics:

• Why you should update old equipment (while I didn’t get into it, this goes for most office technology – not just your copiers!)
• HIPAA compliance issues
• The value of PDF and automated Bates Stamping for law firms
• And some thoughts on costs

Read on for insights into those topics – and more – to get yourself ready for 2018! 

Every company is vulnerable to cybercriminals – especially SMBs because their infrastructure is usually less secure. Use data backup as part of your security strategy against ransomware.

Cybercriminals want to hold your information for ransom. And they are coming after your small to medium sized business because your networks are usually less secure than larger businesses.

Don't just take my word for it.

The FBI estimates that the “ransomware industry” was worth $1 billion in 2016. That number is expected to grow in 2017. 

Every disaster is different. Before doing anything, understand the underlying issues and how it may affect you.

Prepare yourself before disaster strikes. Why?  Because it’s comin’. In many forms and guises you can count on it — it’s comin’.  When it comes to data backup and disaster recovery (BDR), you need to be prepared for potential disasters to keep your business running. It’s not only important to have a disaster recovery solution you trust, but to make sure you test it as well.

Keeping your patient data properly backed up and protected will help you focus on what matters most — the patients you care for.

As a healthcare provider, you know your patients are the number one priority. Part of your obligation to them is to keep their health-related information as confidential as possible.

Because tornadoes can have catastrophic impacts on physical facilities, businesses must plan ahead for an alternative way to carry out everyday processes such as answering phones, processing orders, issuing invoices, signing checks, etc.

Every business has to prepare for the worst. Those that don’t may never fully recover from a disaster. But not all disasters are created equal. And not all businesses are at risk for every kind of disaster. That’s why we’ve put together this quick Natural Disaster Survival Guide to help you ensure that your business can keep operating even if a natural disaster strikes.

If you don't have a plan currently, please join us at the upcoming Datamax Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Seminar (June 20th) and learn more on how to protect your business from human error, hardware failure and natural disasters that can bring your company to its knees.

As a proactive CEO, you know that implementing a solid business continuity and disaster recovery plan, also referred to as BCDR, is essential for your business. After all, why would anyone in your esteemed position ever put a business at risk to downtime or data loss when prevention is so easy? While some CEOs fail to give BCDR the proper attention it deserves, we’re not worried about you.

But if anyone asks, here are four critical reasons that you, the CEO, care about business continuity and disaster recovery.