Symantec SMB IT Confidence Index Review

[Symantec_Corp_]

By Adam P. Garza, Owner of A.G. Technical Network Systems in San Antonio, TX

Many SMBs are attempting to meet certain business and core objectives without a lot of guidelines to follow. The Symantec Global SMB IT Confidence Index, along with a knowledgeable consultant, can really help companies, business owners and managers understand the importance of investing in IT. The survey demonstrates that SMBs who more confidently integrate technology in their businesses have better outcomes.  They’re more secure, more able to meet business challenges, and have lower IT costs.

A company must be able to adapt, and failure to see ahead can have a tremendous impact on their survival and growth.  The Symantec SMB survey highlights the importance of having the right security solutions, since attacks on SMBs have tripled in the last year, according to the Symantec Internet Security Threat Report. The top-tier SMBs identified by the survey report fewer attacks overall, which can make a big difference when we’re talking about the cost of these issues on employee and overall company productivity. In this economy, any business cannot afford to have a serious security issue to deal with or constant attacks enabled by poor management; even worse is not ever seeing the security breaches. Leveraging this report, I can show my customers a high-level review of the manageability of a security strategy, and explain how tools from Symantec can help us to move forward towards our business goals.

I believe the SMB IT Confidence Index will have a huge impact on helping my customers understand that as a business owner or as an overall company, less security puts you in a category that you don’t want to be in – that of a high risk target. The survey provides me with insights into how I can help my customers become top-tier companies and enable them to effectively manage the rapidly changing IT and cyber security aspects of the business world that are constantly evolving.

Being a Managed Service Provider (MSP) isn’t always easy, as you all know, and having the proper insight can make a world of difference when talking to our customers with confidence – particularly when we are seen as their go-to resource. Incorporating the survey results into customer discussions will allow us to emphasize the value of protecting data and help our customers to manage and grow their business without fear – especially considering they help to grow our business as well by adding value and solidifying our reputation. Sharing data with them on how IT contributes to business success further enforces our customers’ trust in our knowledge and technical acumen. By providing customers with the tools they need to understand the importance of making the right IT investments, we will continue to see a greater reliance on MSPs, equating to ongoing business growth and success for both the MSP and their customer base.