Every year we set New Year’s resolutions for ourselves, dedicating ourselves to improvement and growth in the upcoming year. If it’s important enough that we do it each year individually, why shouldn’t our businesses get the same treatment. Heading into 2022, the key business resolutions in IT should be focused on training, strategy, and modernization. What does that all mean? Don’t worry, we’re here to help pave a clear path and give you the tools you need to turn your resolutions into actions, and those actions, into success.

One of the most basic, but important, components of success in 2022 is ensure your business is secure. 85% of data breaches were due to the “human element” according to this report. Meaning that, statistically, your own employees are one of the most beneficial things to invest in. According to a case study by KnowB4, companies could see up to a 75% reduction in phishing susceptibility after the first training session. Phishing may be just one part of preparing your employees for the cybersecurity issues they may face, but its efficacy shows that by doing so, you significantly reduce the possibility of cybersecurity issues. Training phishing as well as ones that covering topics like password security, threat response and device security can have immense impact on your business. According to research by Ponemon, even the least effective training programs have a 7-fold return on investment.  

Training should only be the first part of your resolution in 2022. The second is technology modernization. A craftsman is only as good as his tools and tools utilized in IT are no different. Ensuring modern hardware and update software is as important for security and efficiency as anything else. Modern hardware with the latest software ensures that your devices have the best efficiency and protection possible. For example, WiFi 6 and compatible devices can improve device performance greatly, or ensuring all devices are running the latest secure versions of Windows can make a world of difference in performance. Resolving to improve the overarching technical infrastructure is something any forward-thinking business can do to attain success in 2022.

With all these technical suggestions, the first thing most company leaders are wondering is where do they begin in this process? It starts by speaking with your CIO or CTO. Working with them you can set and solidify goals to work through in 2022, helping to build a roadmap for the year with budgets and executable plans to build towards. Having this conversation sooner rather than later will prepare you for the second major point which is auditing. When building a roadmap of what you want to do moving forward, it’s important to take stock of strengths and weakness of your current IT situation. This is where executing a comprehensive audit can really make a difference. Taking stock of your current IT situation and executing on plans can be difficult which is where it can be helpful to also consider the option of an MSP.

Having an MSP to help execute on plans to improve your IT infrastructure is a valuable, and sometimes necessary, part of advancing your company. Overall, when looking towards building a better future for your business, and executing on that resolution for improvement, it’s in your best interest to take training, upgrading, and planning into account heading into 2022. That way next year will be the most successful year it can. For more information, feel free to reach out to our IT support team in DFW Metroplex.