As a business manager, you have control over the internet flow at your office.
You can control what comes in and what goes out. You determine who has open access and who’s is limited. You can have an eagle eye view of email content and you can block all unwanted pages with a few simple keystrokes.
But the buck stops there.
You can’t control people, you can’t control time outside of the nine-to-five, and you certainly can’t control the internet. This makes keeping things at the office in order a bit tricky.
The internet makes business stronger. It connects countries. Some argue it makes the world a better place.
The internet allows us to do in minutes what used to take hours: For centuries scientists believed that the Brontosaurus, a very popular dinosaur, was thought to have never existed. Back in 1903 a scientist decided it was the same as the Apatosaurus. Recently however research uncovered the truth, reversed this decision, and the Bronto is back! Thanks to the internet’s lightning fast speed we were all notified immediately and years of documentation are being updated.
The same theory applies to business internet. We are all connected and we communicate faster and better – assuming we all keep our actions in check. What is your responsibility as a business owner/manager and what tools are available to you?
24% of employees spend 1 hour per work day visiting time-wasting websites and that can add up to $750 billion dollars wasted annually, according to the 2013 stats acquired by Salary.com
Your employees are your best and worst marketing tool. When employees wear clothes embroidered with your logo – it’s good for business. When employees enter their work history on LinkedIn – it’s good for business. When employees are mentioned in a press release – it’s good for business. When employees vent on Facebook or via instant messaging about their coworkers – sadly it’s not good for business.
Email is the smartest communication tool available. It’s immediate, it’s trackable and it’s efficient. Gone are the days of faxing and postal mail and three-day turnarounds. Email can be used for sales and marketing as well as communication between employees and clients but keeping things clean is essential. You can’t retract what is typed and the emotional element is easily misunderstood. Setting guidelines in business is not only a smart move – it’s the only move if you want to stay on anyone’s good side.
It’s a digital world and it’s a hacker’s paradise. Keeping content secure and knowledge sharing under control is quite a job if you don’t have filtering and phishing software. If you accept payments you need to be acutely aware of the potential threats and the software tools available.
Your internet speed makes a difference when facing deadlines. A business trying to get things done quickly without internet is like a chef trying cook a roast without an oven. It can be done, but chances are someone will beat you to the table. As a business owner having the right connection speed and the company to service any downtime or lags is critical.
As the business owner/manager you control the internet flow. Your technology department is your first stop to ensuring security and efficiency on all levels. Establishing workplace rules will double your security and ultimately your peace of mind in the hyper-connected world we have created.