Your Business Magazine 2022 - 339

IT solutions
sent to them via text. It may feel time-consuming, but a
few extra seconds is worth it for another layer of security.
Experts on the ground
Dedicated IT staff can be invaluable. You're getting
someone who knows your systems inside out, and who is
on call to resolve any issues. However, you may not have
the budget for a full-time salary, in which case you can
outsource it to an IT provider. Most providers offer a
pay-as-you-go package, or a fully managed fee for a fixed
monthly price. If you have regular needs, then the latter
is more cost-effective.
It's imperative they have enough capacity to support
you when needed. Make sure you get a dedicated account
manager who'll be a point of contact, and strict servicelevel
agreements (SLAs) about how quickly the provider
will respond to any issues. This will give you peace of
mind, while saving a considerable amount of money.
Manage your data
More businesses are starting to move their data to the
cloud - it's cheaper than servers and makes it easier for
people to access files they need without being on site.
When choosing a cloud provider, ensure they are ISO
27001 accredited. This tells you that your files are being
stored securely and risks are reduced. It's also a great
thing to tell new and existing clients, giving them
confidence in your ability to keep their information safe.
Don't rely purely on the cloud, though. Sensitive
information should be copied and stored offline - on a
hard drive, for instance - and ideally in a separate
location to your office, such as a safety deposit box. This
not only protects you from IT failures, but also from
things like robberies and fires.
Contingency plans
Create a detailed disaster recovery plan (DRP) - the
steps you'll take in response to any unplanned events
Put the right structure in place
Growing your IT infrastructure may help grow your business explains Paul Coyle from Scan Computers
" IT infrastructure tends to naturally increase as
organisations grow, but the key is in which areas and
technologies you invest. Switching to a more flexible,
data-driven approach provides more insight into their
customers' habits and preferences, and a greater capacity
for your business to adapt to unpredictable events.
" Organisations can begin with small changes at a pace
that suits their demands and budgets. Moving certain
teams or functions to a cloud environment may reduce
costs and increase productivity, for example, without
changing their entire working practices. Likewise,
investigating the impact of using AI can be done with
a single development workstation.
" GPU-accelerated hardware and AI algorithms
provide far deeper and faster data analysis capabilities,
delivering actionable insights in much shorter time
frames. Similarly, cloud technologies provide more
flexibility of where staff can work, but also how resource
can be allocated across distributed teams when workloads
and deadlines rapidly change.
" Scan Computers has a pedigree of delivering tailored
Nvidia GPU-accelerated solutions - both physical
workstations and servers, and now public and private cloud
services - to provide flexible and scalable platforms for any
business. Our expert teams will advise on the options that
best suit a client and also offer free a proof of concept. "
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Your Business Magazine 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Your Business Magazine 2022