In a tech-first world, even small businesses are highly reliant upon technology to get through the typical business day. Make the wrong decisions around technology, or skimp on IT support services, and it could cost your growing business dearly.

However, with so many things to focus on, growing businesses often leave IT on the backburner – and that leads to mistakes. Here, we list the ten most common IT mistakes growing businesses make – and what they can do about it.

Nothing brings together the defining elements of this technological era-connectivity, devices, and data-like the Internet of Things. Put simply, the IoT is a system which connects a vast number of well, things; from simple sensors and consumer wearables, to IoT applications and industrial machines. All of these can be connected through the web to share data and ‘communicate’ with each other.

One of the simplest and best-known applications of IoT is a smart home, in which internet-enabled appliances such as security, lighting, and heating systems can be controlled remotely. While not everybody needs home automation, and some IoT devices should not have seen the light of day (think connected mirrors and smart salt shakers), it cannot be denied that in the more sensible use cases, the Internet of Things does improve how people work and live.

We’re in the midst of a digital transformation wave unlike any we’ve seen in the past – with digital technology transforming companies from the ground up, leaving no aspect of business untouched.

The incredible potential for IT transformation has prompted many companies to take the programme approach, implementing large and wide-reaching IT transformation programmes to harness the power of the current wave of technology. A 2019 study found that 34% of businesses already have a transformation programme in action – with the majority soon to follow.

Cloud services have gone a long way since their inception, with more organisations making the monumental decision to shift to a cloud environment. Over the last few years, however, the hybrid version of cloud computing has emerged as the default choice of companies for their ever-changing business requirements.

According to the Flexera 2020 State of the Cloud Report, 87 percent of the enterprises surveyed are adopting a hybrid cloud strategy. In this blog post, we explore what the hybrid cloud is, and more importantly, what is driving its growing widespread adoption among business organisations.

Unless you’re on G Suite, chances are that your company’s staff uses Office 365 apps such as Word, Excel, and Outlook on a daily basis. Office 365 remains the go-to cloud service simply because most office workers are accustomed to Microsoft’s long-standing productivity suite.

Though Office 365 packs in plenty of functions, there is also a wide range of productivity plug-ins that can help you get even more out of your everyday Office apps. We list seven top examples below, and chances are that at least one of these apps will make your working day just that bit more productive.

Few can dispute the importance of data in the success of any enterprise. As we enter a data-driven environment in the modern workplace, data has become a key factor in practically every aspect of business operations, including manufacturing and production, sales and marketing, human resources and the decision making of business leaders.

We know that remote working is increasingly becoming the norm. A 2019 survey by IWG found that more than 50% of employees around the world are working off-site for more than 2.5 days in any given week. However, the scale of remote working we’re seeing right now is unprecedented – government-imposed lock-down is pushing businesses to adopt remote working like never before.

One could argue that most companies are reasonably well prepared for remote working and will by consequence have the right security measures in place. While that is true for many companies, other organisations might find the sudden and involuntary push to remote working a bit of a shock and will rightly be concerned about the security implications.

In this article, we cover key remote working security tips for those companies which are suddenly adopting remote working. Even if your organisation has embraced remote working in the past, consider reviewing the tips below to make sure your security practices are watertight.

Enterprises are well aware of threat attacks which pose a huge challenge to IT security, perpetrated by technical hackers who infiltrate computer systems to steal protected data. The truth is, however, that many of the most effective cyber attacks are not directly inflicted upon hardware or software, but instead, are targeted on people.

IT outsourcing often wins the debate between in-house IT or outsourcing technology requirements to an IT support company, businesses commonly opt for the latter because outsourcing reduces costs, draws in more expertise and allows businesses to focus on core competencies.

Sometimes, however, companies decide to take IT back in-house or do not consider outsourcing. A few horror stories or a bad outsourcing experience can often sour the mood around outsourced IT. Like a lot of things in business and technology, getting the most out of IT outsourcing – and avoiding the horror stories – just involves a degree of awareness and the right steps.