• I’ve just spent a week fighting desktop and laptop issues for too many hours.
  • A client is suing a former executive who took client lists, then approached them to transfer business to his new firm before he left their firm.
  • JPMorgan Chase, Home Depot… and the list goes on of huge system data breaches.

While many solopreneurs rely on family or friends for ‘IT support”, once you have employees you cannot do that. The employee issues related to computer, communications, smart phones, ‘bring your own devices’, security, and cloud usage are critical to your business.

  • Do you – and your employees – understand what information is where and how it is safeguarded?
  • Do you have an information repository? Retention guidelines? Policies to protect your organization?
  • Do you know which laws apply to your electronic communications and software?
  • If an employee took a lot of company proprietary information would you know? Could you trace it or delete it remotely from the smartphone or other device used?
  • What if the person revealed sensitive data on social media?

I regularly have dealt with clients:

  • * whose employees who took company data on clients, critical intellectual property, or pricing info to use at another employer or to start their own business.
  • * who are investigating an employee and need to search out any relevant information which may be online or in electronic files.
  • * with ex-employees who ‘forget’ to return company laptops and data.

All I have lost this week is time, a few documents – and my patience. Before you lose anything, talk to your IT advisor or support company. If you do not have one, now is the time!

  • What do you need to know about that might affect your organization?
  • What services can they provide to protect you from employee or external threats?
  • Do they have policy templates to help you define your policies and practices?
  • How secure are your payroll and accounting systems’ data?

Once you have the IT systems, then it is time to train your employees. Plus, be sure to update all your policies and practices which apply. These might include: Confidentiality and Intellectual Property, ‘Bring Your Own Devices” Usage, Software Protection, Social Media, and Document Retention.   You depend on your systems and people to stay in business, make sure you are effectively supporting both!