Technology is a tool for your business. There should be a good business reason for the technology – a change of business process. Use technology to its fullest potential - the best way to accomplish that is training. Computer systems must be secure – systems that are not secure increase risk unnecessarily

1. Technology for the Small
Business
Donald E. Hester
CISSP, CISA, MCT, MCSE, MCSA, MCDST, Security+, CTT+
DonaldH@MazeAssociates.com
Instructor for Los Medanos College and San Diego City College
IS Manager for Maze & Associates

2. For SMB
 Technology can put your business at a
competitive advantage or a competitive
disadvantage
 The competitive advantage or disadvantage
comes from your choices

3. SMB Goals for Technology
 Technology is a tool
 That assists you in meeting your
business objectives
 Technology should help dentists be
dentists; florists be florists and
accountants be accountants
 Is technology helping you do your
job?

4. Case Study 1
 The small business with 3 Internet browsers
 Having 3 browsers was not helping them do
their jobs - User confusion lead to lost
productivity
 3 browsers used more system resources and
caused conflicts
 Solution a single browser that met all the
business needs - Sometimes simple is the best
solution

5. When you buy technology
 How do most SMB buy technology
 Do you buy the biggest and the best?
 Do you buy the cheapest?
 What should you consider when you look at
buying technology?
 What business processes do I want to enhance or
develop?
 Will this meet my businesses needs?
 What is the business reason?

6. Case Study 2
 The company the bought the most expensive
financial software
 Could have got the same functionality cheaper
 Did not even use all the bells and whistles
 The company that bought the cheapest
computers
 Constantly had issues with the hardware and the
manufacturer
 Ended up spending more in repairs

7. The nature of technology
 Technology is constantly changing and
the risks and advantages change with it
 This requires ongoing processes for
change
 Failure to dynamically change with
technology can increase the risks of
doing business
 Smaller businesses are at an advantage
because they are more agile than larger
organizations

8. Case Study 3
 Adopting new technology to make a
fundamental business process change, not for
the sake of it being new technology
 Upgrading from Office 2000 to Office 2003
to add collaborative features and more
interaction with our clients via the web
 Small business that starting using online
meeting services to meet with clients rather
than costly trips to clients

9. A complete view
 Technology does not exist in a vacuum
 Technology exists in a system
 The systems include
 Users
 Data
 Business Partners
 Customers, Clients
 Technology
 Business processes Cell

10. Tapping the Power
 Most businesses do not fully use the
potential of the technology they have
 Most do not know the potential of the
technology they have
 Training unleashes the potential, Unused
resources are unused potential
 Many buy the technology but not the
training – that is a mistake

11. Case Study 4
 The business has problems with wireless
networks, users have to change modes in and
out of the office and that causes confusion
 Wireless network was also wide open for all
outsiders to see and hack
 Business sends IT staff to wireless network
training – 6 months later, no more problems
and a secure wireless network

12. Computer Security
 Goals of security
 Part of all business processes
 Loss prevention - lost profits and income
 Risks
 Viruses, spy ware, malicious code, systems out of
date, espionage, accidental disclosure, snooping,
no backups, theft, natural disasters, exposure to
the elements, legal issues, fraud & hackers

13. Case Study 5
 The SMB without a firewall,
 Statistically a computer connected to the Internet
without protection is compromised within 15
minutes
 The SMB without antivirus protection,
 A firm’s 50 employees sat around for an entire
day while the computers where disinfected – 8
hours of lost productivity x 50 employees = waste

14. Summary
 Technology is a tool for your business
 There should be a good business reason for
the technology – a change of business process
 Use technology to its fullest potential - the
best way to accomplish that is training
 Computer systems must be secure – systems
that are not secure increase risk unnecessarily