Business Technology Insights

Your IT strategy is as crucial to the success of your organization as any other core business function, whether it be sales and marketing, accounting, human resources or administration.

And just like any of those core business functions, staff training is crucial. IT isn’t just about what technology your company uses, it’s about how your employees use those tools to optimize their time and build more efficient processes.

The rate at which technology and software trends evolve can be daunting for any business owner. As quickly as your organization adopts technology, it feels like a new version of that software or a new product has already taken its place.

It’s not uncommon for small and medium-sized businesses to have no in-house IT support. Instead, technical problems and IT decisions are handled by the most tech-savvy person in the company. 

This can work for a short amount of time, but it’s certainly not a sustainable practice. That’s why small and medium-sized enterprises typically partner with an outsourced IT support partner (also known as a managed IT services provider) for their technology needs.

Over the past decade, technology has become a huge part of how education institutions operate. Whether used on the front line to better engage students, used behind the scenes to improve efficiencies or used to communicate with members of staff, schools and other educational facilities have come a long way. 

A huge amount has changed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) over the past year, with many making the transition to remote and flexible work schedules. With employees now based outside of the physical office for many Ontario-based businesses, IT solutions and technology choices are becoming increasingly important for business success.

Has your entire small to medium-sized business made the transition to remote work? There are some measures you should take to ensure your team is properly cleaning their home office and IT hardware - both physically and technically.

If you are like the vast majority of businesses in Canada, then 2020 has probably seen your organization transition to a work-from-home model in which your workforce is largely operating remotely.

This way of working is becoming the norm for many organizations, and is set to continue long into the future. In fact, a study from Regus Canada found that nearly half (47 percent) of Canadian employees work from outside one of their employer’s main offices for at least half the week.

This year has seen huge changes in where, when and how employees work. Working remotely is now widespread across Canada, and many companies aim to keep it that way.

In fact, a study from Regus Canada back in 2017 found that nearly half (47 percent) of all Canadian employees work from outside one of their employer’s main offices for half the week or more. With remote work only growing in popularity in 2020, it’s likely that figure is significantly higher today. 

There are a range of benefits that come with remote work, including a better work-life balance, less commute stress, increased productivity and money savings. Perhaps one of the most popular benefits though, is the ability to work from home and, in turn, the opportunity to completely customize your own office space. 

When it comes to designing a professional home office space, however, many people have no idea where to start.

An increasing amount of the work that we do as small and medium-sized businesses is performed over the internet, particularly with the increase in teams working remotely. Whether it’s sending an email to a client, selling a product online or talking to employees, we are constantly communicating with both individuals and organizations online.

This reliance on the internet, without proper precautions, has opened organizations up to the threat of cybercrime, and in particular phishing scams.