“How does that help my business?” is probably the question I hear most frequently. Small business owners and executives would listen to me talk about technology and the various services we provide and often make a comment like: “That all sounds great, but what does that actually do for me? How does it help my business?” Others would say: “That sounds spectacular, but it seems like an overkill for my small business operation.” All valid points.

I thought I owe it to our current and future Clients to put it all in perspective.

With the invention of the Internet and constantly evolving information technology, the ball game has changed dramatically. We used to write all data and confidential business information on paper, locked it all in a file cabinet, which was locked in an office, which was located in a building that was also locked. We installed a burglar and fire alarm systems and we were done. There were technically four layers of security including a “catch-all” burglar alarm system that was protecting our confidential data, intellectual property, and assets.

Fast-forward to today. All information and data is in digital format. We use software applications instead of pen and pencil to manipulate the data. Those applications run on desktop and server computers. The files and folders are now stored in a “file cabinet” called Server, which is locked in an office (or dedicated computer room), which is located in a building that is also locked. And we probably also have a burglar and fire alarm systems in place, just like in the olden days.

The most significant difference? Your file cabinet, the Server (or servers, depending on the size of the operation), is on a computer network which is connected to the Global network called the Internet. Your file cabinet is now accessible from anywhere in the World and, if not properly protected, is just a matter of time before someone figures out a way to access the data and information that was so hard to access before the invention of the Internet. All of a sudden the vital business information that was so secure before the digital age is now available to those with some time and malicious intent on their hands, regardless of where they reside on planet Earth. In many cases the four layers of security I spoke about have been reduced to one – your server’s administrative password!

Our core mission as an Information Technology Services Provider is to protect your confidential business information from those who should not have access to it and to ensure that your business related data and software applications are available to you and your employees when you need them, wherever you need them. All the technologies and services we talk about are the tools we need to accomplish our mission. It’s as simple as that.

Best regards,
Konstantin