Tech Connect: Outside looking in

There is no doubt that it is very difficult for a small-business owner to stay on top of the developments in IT products and services that may improve the efficiency and productivity of the company's operations.

Here is a list of some things to think about. An outside expert may be of help, especially if your in-house expertise is thin:

The cloud - In the past five years or so the cloud has become more secure and there are low-cost products for small businesses.

There also are backup solutions designed to store data files in the cloud. When set up properly, backup systems that include cloud storage offer safe and available storage. I say 'include” because good backup systems include more than one form of storage to help insure data integrity.

Security software - There is no single piece of security software that will protect your IT systems from everything. Your largest hole in your security is yourself and your employees.

Tricking users into allowing malicious software to infect your computers and data is called social engineering. Social engineering also is used in identity theft. It is very important that everyone is aware of the various forms of this threat.

When it comes to software, we recommend a combination of software to provide protection against the major kinds of attacks.

Free software - There are some very good software packages for office applications that has been developed to look and perform very much like Microsoft Office. The one we have used and like is LibreOffice.

This software was developed by a worldwide community of developers to provide a free alternative to MS Office. It offers the same four basic functional areas. OpenOffice is a very similar, free package that also works well.

IP services - This term refers to any technology that uses the Internet protocol to move information through the Internet. Examples of two of the services valued by small businesses are VoIP phone systems and IP surveillance cameras.

VoIP phone systems offer many advantages over legacy phone systems. The advantages include easy scalability, many features, built-in voice mail, etc. These systems can be purchased or accessed through vendors offering hosted services.

IP surveillance cameras use a cabled or wireless network. The price of these systems has declined, while the quality of the cameras has increased significantly.

These cameras are now available with the capabilities to provide great detail, which can be valuable in identifying individuals or vehicles.

' Mike McKay is general manager and co-founder of Keystone IT; mike@keystoneit.com