Technology is important for keeping your business running. But without an IT staff, keeping your computers and software up to date can be daunting. It doesn’t have to be difficult if you have some rules in place. Here are some helpful ways to keep your business software up to date at all times.
Automate Your Processes
Automation can help you stay on top of your software updates. Without the use of automation, your business would be costly to run and update. It also wouldn’t be scalable, which could impact its growth. Whether you’re running into issues with your accounting or invoicing software, coming to a resolution will take more time than it needs to.
That’s why it’s important to have your software updated on a regular basis. Several computing applications make it easier to automate updates. That means you can focus on your internal processes and automate them, such as online payments for recurring invoices. You can make automatic updates, so you don’t have to do it yourself.
Train Your Employees
The next step is to train your employees on the importance of keeping computers and software up to date. In order for this method to be effective, you need to show them how to install the software updates and show them when a computer is ready for updates. If you work with a small staff, training is ideal as it won’t take long. Be sure that you are prepared to answer any of your employee’s questions to ensure that they get the most out of their training. Common questions may be, “What is a cyber attack?” or “ How do I set up automatic install updates?”. These questions are important to answer in the most accurate way possible so your employees have a clear understanding.
Remind your employees to choose “install” once software updates are available. The disadvantage of this approach is that all of your network computers need to be updated at the same time. This could reduce network performance. If your employees choose to install later, they could expose your computers and network to potential risks.
Automate Your Updates
This approach ensures that updates are installed the moment they should be. You can use a tool that automatically updates the software for your employees. This tool lets you gather the updates, which you can roll out across your network computers. The advantage to this method is that you won’t miss out on important updates since this process is centralized.
Most businesses prefer to use a centralized approach. This allows you to ensure that every update is installed correctly. You can also update the software outside business hours, which doesn’t interrupt an employee’s work. No matter which method you choose, you don’t want to overlook the importance of updating your software.
Some software updates are more critical than others. Most updates will install without any problems. But you may run into a problem depending on the type of software you use. It’s good to test these updates before rolling them across your network computers. If you don’t have experience with this area, then you should hire a professional IT supplier.
Update Your Mobile Devices
More small businesses are using smartphones and tablets. This means you’ll have to keep them up to date as well. Smartphone manufacturers regularly roll out updates used by these devices. In addition, the apps also roll out regular updates. Mobile device management (MDM) can help with identifying, testing, and rolling out some of these updates.
If you allow your employees to use their own mobile devices for work, then establish a bring your own device (BYOD) policy that requires them to keep their devices up to date. You won’t have to worry about cybersecurity issues if your employees use Android or Apple devices. While there’s an increase in hackers, malware, and viruses, most of these attacks occur on Microsoft Windows devices.
Use Cloud Computing Services
Do you use cloud computing services? If so, those will need to be updated as well. You should become acquainted with how they work. Since cloud computing services run on servers outside of your network, they reduce the cost, management overhead, and time it takes to update them.
The same goes for updates as well. Updates are applied automatically to cloud computing services. You’ll receive the most recent version every time you sign into the service. If you decide to move to the cloud, you won’t have to worry about downloading and installing updates ever again.
Establish a System Management
The daily responsibilities for keeping a computer updated can be challenging. It’s a good time to consider implementing system management. Like going to the doctor or having your vehicle service, it can keep your computers running smoothly and notify you of any issues before they ruin your business. Systems management doesn’t have to be a complicated process. The best way to handle this area is to monitor your IT hardware and software, and create a plan to manage them.
