4 Tech Tools You Need For Your Small Business
by Amy Collett for Optix Blog
Running a small business is no easy feat. But thanks to recent advancements in technology, you have more tools than ever to help you along this arduous path. While your current tech needs may come down to supplying your staff with new laptops, tablets or more reliable headsets, there are important tools you may not have considered.
If you are just starting out, Optix Communications recommends these four technologies to help you grow stronger and keep pace.
Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization is the way in which you position your website to reach more online searchers. It is not a single action. Rather, SEO is a series of steps you take to push your website as close to the top of Google’s Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS) as possible.
According to the SEO company Yoast, positioning your website organically — or holistically — involves creating high-ranking content. You can utilize SEO plugins to read and analyze content so that it is more easily recognized by crawlers, which then reach out into the World Wide Web to grab the most relevant results based on user queries.
Cyber Protection
The more your business is visible online, the more it becomes a target. This unfortunate reality has caught many small business owners off guard and has led to the buying, selling, and unscrupulous use of sensitive information by cybercriminals.
While you may not be able to combat all instances of cyber attacks, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk. One is to train your employees on best practices, which includes utilizing strong passwords and never responding to emails requesting company or client information unless they can verify the sender. You will also want to have your tech team install and maintain firewalls on your networks, which Forcepoint explains regulates the traffic moving in and out of your company’s digital space.
Lastly, consider providing smartphones for your employees rather than opting for BYOD. When you provide the device, particularly if your staff handles company business on a smartphone, you can more easily ward off vulnerabilities and mitigate security risks. Every time your iPhone updates, for example, the most recent security patches are downloaded to your phone, and new security features on the iPhone 12 include a password manager that warns you if your cell’s password is being used across multiple platforms or devices. There’s also a USB Restricted Mode that prevents use of accessories like USB cables and headphones when the device has been locked for more than an hour, making it more difficult for hackers to access your data.
Accounting Software
Accounting software is one of the very first investments you should make as a small business. This is a program that helps you keep up with your incoming and outgoing funds. Many may also be integrated into workflow systems and customer relationship management programs (more on the latter in the next section).
More than just helping you track profits and losses, accounting software can keep you compliant with IRS guidelines. The Internal Revenue Service notes that most small businesses should keep financial records — and especially those relating to employment taxes — for at least four years.
Customer Relationship Management
Customer relationship (CRM) is the Rolodex of today. Our grandparents utilized these desktop information caddies to keep track of their customers’ likes, dislikes, and other important information. CRM software does the same and so much more.
Introduced in the 1990s, CRM was one of the first software as a service (SaaS) platforms available to a large audience. Your CRM software will help you maintain current contact information, account details, and even personal anecdotes about your target client. You might, for example, use your software to send birthday cards to your contacts, which is a thoughtful gesture that will get your name in front of them — always a positive.
The above are just a few examples of the ways technology can pay for itself. Whether you are boosting your website to the top of the search results, protecting your digital assets, or monitoring your accounting and customer files, technology helps you run your business more efficiently. And when implemented at startup, these programs can scale with you so that you always know your capabilities when it’s time to grow.