IT
Policies Every Small Business Should Have
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Every
company that uses computers, email, the internet, and software
on a daily basis should have information technology (IT)
policies in place. It is important for employees to know
what is expected and required of them when using the technology
provided by their employer, and it is critical for a company
to protect itself by having policies to govern areas such
as personal internet and email usage, security, software
and hardware inventory and data retention. It is also important
for the business owner to know the potential lost time and
productivity at their business because of personal internet
usage.
So, what exactly are the IT policies that every company
should have? There are six areas that need to be addressed:
-
Acceptable Use of Technology: Guidelines for the use of
computers, fax machines, telephones, internet, email,
and voicemail and the consequences for misuse.
-
Security: Guidelines for passwords, levels of access to
the network, virus protection, confidentiality, and the
usage of data.
- Disaster
Recovery: Guidelines for data recovery in the event of
a disaster, and data backup methods.
- Technology
Standards: Guidelines to determine the type of software,
hardware, and systems will be purchased and used at the
company, including those that are prohibited (for example,
instant messenger or mp3 music download software).
- Network
Set up and Documentation: Guidelines regarding how the
network is configured, how to add new employees to the
network, permission levels for employees, and licensing
of software.
- IT
Services: Guidelines to determine how technology needs
and problems will be addressed, who in the organization
is responsible for employee technical support, maintenance,
installation, and long-term technology planning.
Every situation and company is different, and there is no
'one size fits all' mentality for IT policies. Every business
should, at the very least, have the basics covered, but
how they cover the basics depends upon the company's culture
and business needs.
Conclusion:
Having policies and procedures simply for the sake of saying
you have them is useless. It may make you feel better initially,
but just wait until an issue arises for which no policy
exists. Most importantly, you need to have policies with
some teeth. They need to work for your company and your
employees, and they need to be enforced. If you are not
sure how to do this, your company may want to employ the
services of a technology consultant that can make recommendations
for policies according to how technology is used on a daily
basis for your business.
Whatever you do, don't delay. It could cost you. Every minute
of downtime is costing you. If you are hit with a major
disaster and have no recovery or backup policy in place,
you could lose valuable time, money and even your business.
About
Total Computers
Total Computers is a professional outsourced computer service
company serving small businesses in Mumbai Our specialties
are network planning (network consulting), network projects,
and ongoing network/computer maintenance. We pride ourselves
on not only delivering the results you expect, but also
being knowledgeable, systematic, accountable, trustworthy
and easy to work with. To speak with a Support Advisor about
the the computer support provided by Total Computers email
us at
info@total-computers.net
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