Today is Halloween, and in honor of this holiday, I think it makes sense to focus on the top five things office workers across America fear the most when it comes to all things technology.

Ghostly Bad Wi-Fi

Good Wi-Fi is the lifeblood of any organization. Suppose the Wi-Fi is up and down, slows down during certain times, or even goes entirely down regularly. In that case, it is time to evaluate the problem in more detail and develop a reasonable solution.

If your Wi-Fi is spotty or slow, you may not have enough bandwidth for your users’ needs. Calling your provider is an excellent place to start and look for an increase in speed. Suppose your Wi-Fi goes down on a regular basis or isn’t available all over the building. In that case, your organization needs to invest in a platform that offers live monitoring and gives insight into real-time connectivity so that you can be proactive about any issues.

Technologies Dying Off

If you keep your desktops, external hard drives, and other devices until they bite the dust, you may be in for technology investments that were not in your budget.

Once a year, take an inventory of your hardware, operating system, software, and apps. This includes tablets and smartphones. If you have hardware that isn’t supported by the current operating system, now is the time to get rid of it because it can become a cybersecurity risk.

Zombie Rogue Employees Rising Up

Believe it or not, your biggest cybersecurity threat isn’t with Russia or Chinese hackers; it lies with your current or ex-employees messing with your system. Depending on their sophistication level, they can do anything from destroying client records to installing malware onto your system.

Implement a cybersecurity policy and train each employee on it. Ensure ex-employees no longer have access to your company’s system (including social media) and change all passwords, including the one for your routers, immediately or just before their termination. Put in place an action plan to ensure employees only have access to the data they need from your system to prevent accidental hacks.

Witchy Ransomware

Ransomware is probably the biggest threat to companies, both large and small. This is where an unknown hacker encrypts your data and holds it hostage for a bitcoin payment. You are basically out of business until the payment is made, and you have to go to the CEO for payment because it is usually a large amount.

You can complete some basic things in the house, including always keeping your software up-to-date, making sure employees are well-versed on phishing methodologies, and having a current BYOD policy. However, more than these actions, you will need to allocate funding for an outside cybersecurity firm to assess your vulnerabilities and continuously monitor dark web activity and deliver alerts to you as they happen.  

Mummified Budgets

If your budget is the same as it was in 2009, it is unlikely you have enough dollars allocated toward cybersecurity, digital marketing, and end-user training.

Do an analysis of companies your size and their overall budgets. Since this is usually when 2021 budgets are set, it is perfect to ask for more monies for all the items listed above. 

Happy Halloween from Mulligan Management Group

Here’s hoping your organization doesn’t experience any of these horrors today or anytime soon! We can help you with your digital marketing process to ensure your experience is anything but scary! 

When you are ready to assess your online presence, contact us at 330-472-7673, or complete our contact form for guidance and assistance.