If you’re like me, when the end of the month rolls around, you like to reflect on how the month progressed.
How was September for you? Hopefully, somewhat normal and even prosperous.
Here at Accent, helping our clients navigate the challenges of working from home has been a continuing theme. The support required for home users has been challenging, but the team is doing very well.
Nobody expected that the majority of California office workers would still be working from home six months after a global pandemic spread across the nation. I’m proud of the people here at Accent and their ability to quickly address issues and solve the vast majority of them in very short order.
Some who read this may know that I am a member of a nationwide IT services peer group. This month was the quarterly “State of the IT Industry” meeting. The agenda was filled with topics of the times, and as it turns out, the two most important topics were Work From Home and Cyber Security.
Work From Home Stresses
It’s no surprise that Work From Home (WFH) is a giant issue. Many employers and workers are struggling tremendously as parents try to assist their kids with school while simultaneously trying to maintain full time jobs. It’s no wonder the stress level at home has escalated for families with school-aged kids.
At the same time, employers are trying to figure out how to get work done efficiently while being as flexible as they can.
The stress is there on both sides, and for many, revenues are down.
Collaboration Suffers with As Offices Remain Empty
It’s not just the situation of working parents that has increased stress.
Collaboration is just not the same for some teams when they are remote. The creative juices may not flow quite as well when everyone is remote all the time, and those spontaneous conversations that often lead to new ideas and diverse thinking aren’t happening as much when everyone isn’t under the same roof.
Over the past few months, I have spoken with several firms that have multiple floors of expensive office space under lease that it is sitting idle. Interestingly enough, just before the pandemic, office space was at a premium and in very short supply. Boy, did that change!
Basic Security Not Good Enough Anymore
Cyber security continues to be a hot topic that has escalated in many industries. Of course, all businesses should try to maintain a secure network and do their best to keep the bad guys out.
Over the course of time, most business owners have opted for basic security and hope it is good enough. This has changed.
Compliance requirements are being required in several industries like aerospace and government contracting. Strict requirements to do business in certain areas have been implemented and compliance requires a significant additional investment in proactive cyber security.
All businesses are going to have to step up their game and invest in a higher level of security in the very near future. The tools are out there to stop most threats, but they are not cheap.
Get Educated About Cyber Security
National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October is a good time to make a commitment towards improving security.
Start by becoming better educated about cyber security. We have a whole library of resources on our website to help you learn how to manage the risk of cyber attack, and teach your people how to play their role in keeping your data and IT systems safe.
Get straight to the security articles here: https://blog.accentonit.com/topic/cyber-security
Have a great October!
Marty
