George Santayana is credited with the quote, “Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them” (the original is quite different). After 20+ years working in Corporate America for Fortune 500 companies, it pains me greatly to walk into a small business and see that even the most basic of the lessons learned by the large companies have generally not been implemented in smaller businesses.  The IT environment and work processes remain undocumented. Many still don’t have an effective data backup scheme…definitely no business continuity plan.  I believe this is happening for three reasons:

Small requires less mentality. The term “small business” now suggests a home office or small office, something substantially less than the government definition of 500 or fewer employees. In some local economies, small businesses represent more than 50% of the area businesses.  Of those 75% or more have fewer than 10 employees, and most have only one or two employees. These businesses drive the economy and employ more than 50% of the workforce.  Service providers and business owners alike seem to think that small means less is required to manage and maintain them from an I.T. perspective.  In reality, these businesses require processes and protection that are as robust as those of the Fortune companies. How do you view your small enterprise?  Do you see it as a long-term, growing business concern?

Lack of awareness. Part of the problem stems from the plug-n-play simplicity with which most computers and applications integrate into daily operations. This often hides the complexity and criticality of the operations they support. Consequently, most small business owners are simply unaware of the risks I.T. poses to their business. What are your business critical processes? How dependent are these processes on I.T.? Can your business survive if the computers and network are not available?

Conscious decision. In some cases, no matter how important it might be to take action, the business owner simply does not have the financial wherewithal to implement a suggestion from the I.T. service provider. It might be less expensive to allow the business to close after a significant I.T. failure than it is to protect against the problem. That’s a decision you, the business owner, will have to make.  Are you armed with enough information to make an informed decision?

How do you view your business? Are you aware of the risks I.T. poses to your business? Have you done what you can to reduce or eliminate those risks?  This is the first post in a series.  I hope you will return as we explore the risks for startups and established businesses, possible solutions and then share your experiences.

Best wishes for your success!

Leslie

Leslie Knight is a small business consultant with over 20 years of experience in Information Technology management in Fortune 500 companies.  She applies her experience in Corporate America saving them millions to smaller entrepreneurial enterprises. She is also the author of Navigating the I.T. Minefield.

To download “When Disaster Strikes” from Navigating the I.T. Minefield: Straight Talk for the Small Enterprise, go to http://bit.ly/zAcdl.