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By paying attention to important IT news and trends we have seen over the last 12 months.
The year 2022 will soon be on its way out the door. It became a year full of ups and downs for many small businesses, but it still felt more promising than the past few years in the midst of the pandemic. Many small-business owners used this past year to reevaluate their IT services. Some needed to strengthen their cyber security defenses while others utilized new advancements to further assist their customer base.
If you’re a small-business owner, it’s essential that you’re aware of the IT news, trends and events that took place in the recent past. In fact, knowing what happened in the previous year can allow you to develop plans for the future so 2023 will be successful for you and your business. You shouldn’t continue following old trends because the competition will quickly leave you behind, and that could open you up to cyber-attacks you didn’t know existed. Don’t worry, though; we’re here to help. Here are our picks for the most important IT events and trends of 2022.
One of the biggest challenges for many industries was the need for reliable IT services for remote employees. Businesses had to send their employees home, so they needed to find ways to ensure their information would stay protected.
To fix this issue, many businesses started working with MSPs to help with their IT and cyber security needs. MSPs can install, support and maintain all the users' devices and PCs connected to the network. Since they manage devices remotely, they're available to help employees with their concerns as soon as they arise. MSPs are also incredibly beneficial when it comes to protecting information from hackers and other significant problems. They'll be there to assist with issues such as lost devices, hardware failures, natural disasters and many other situations.
Between rising costs due to inflation and staffing issues, many small-business owners are doing more of the repetitive but necessary tasks that don't bring much value to the business. However, many things can be automated, including e-mail marketing and data entry. Business owners don't have to do everything on their own, especially when they can automate many of these essential daily tasks. Implementing automation leaves business owners and employees less stressed while freeing up time for higher-valued tasks.
Gone are the days of having an in-office IT person or team. A more cost-effective solution has been gaining traction over the past few years and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Managed IT services providers (MSPs) install, support and maintain all the users, devices and PCs connected to your network on a routine basis. MSPs can even prevent common problems such as lost devices, hardware failures, fires, natural disasters and a host of other issues that can interrupt or outright destroy your IT infrastructure and the data it holds. The managed IT services industry is growing immensely. At the end of 2021, the industry was valued at $239.71 billion, and it’s estimated to grow by over 13% annually until 2030. Businesses of all sizes have realized the value of MSPs and are using them to their advantage.
Cyber-attacks happen all the time. As new cyberthreats emerge, we’ll see more frequent and severe cyber-attacks over the next few years. Uber saw another cyber-attack this past September that caused the company to shut down its internal messaging service and engineering systems in order to get to the bottom of the incident. Cryptocurrency storage and blockchain were also high-value targets for cybercriminals. Ronin and Crypto.com suffered severe cyber-attacks that required both companies to reimburse their users for the cryptocurrency stolen in the attack. Ronin was hacked for $540 million, and Crypto.com was hacked for $33 million worth of cryptocurrencies.
Small businesses weren’t safe from cyber-attacks, either. While cyber-attacks on big businesses make national news, small businesses are targeted more often since their cyber security defenses aren’t as strong. That being said, it’s imperative you ensure your business has efficient cyber security practices in place, so you won’t have to worry as much about cyber-attacks.
The IT industry is consistently changing to keep up with new developments and advancements. If you’re a small-business owner, it’s vital to keep up with the latest news and information so you can best protect your business and its data. When you stay ahead of the trends, it’s much easier to prevent potential cyber-attacks and threats.
