Technology Services
You may not be scaling mountains or digging in a mine, but running a Technology Services company certainly presents its own breed of danger. Whether you’re building something out of nothing, launching a new system for a client or battling a Trojan horse, you face some very real risks. And if you want to find success, backing away from these challenges is just not an option.
THREE was created to help you accept the risk and go beyond what’s expected. So, if you decide to host a gaming group in your office, license your software, create an online programming course, start a repair service, or just about anything else you can think of, give us a quick call and we’ll update your account.
Your Operations
Even if you can solve any computer problem, upsell yourself from a consultation to a long-term contract or cultivate an office culture that’s as appealing to Gen Zers as it is to Boomers, some things are just out of your control.
3 most expensive types of cyber breaches: 1) Third-party failure 2) Fraud by employees 3) Cyber espionage
Software Bug
We created some tracking and logistics software for a regional trucking company last year. There was some crazy bug where it inserted a zero to the end of every address, but only on the drivers’ end, so we never caught it. Drivers were looking for addresses that didn’t exist. My client’s clients held them accountable, and they held us accountable.
Burn
We’re a tech company, so when we decided to put an espresso machine in the reception area we obviously wanted the most futuristic looking one we could find. Well, I guess it was a little too complicated because the first client that tried to use it ended up with 2nd degree burns on his hand and arm.
Hack
It was a PR nightmare. I mean, clients expect us to protect them from exactly this sort of thing. But there we were, a computer consulting company, hacked. All the projects we were working on, all our clients’ sensitive information, all compromised. And it’s not like a flood where you can just repair the damage. This is information, once it’s out there, it’s out.
Your People
Your clients come to you to solve their problems. And when they do, you know exactly which member of your team to turn to. With a small business every one of your people is integral to your success, which is why it’s so important to protect them.
Small Businesses employ 47.5% of the country’s private workforce.
Options
10 years ago it was just me and my brother. When we hit 3 employees we felt huge. Eventually we started offering stock options, you kind of need to in this business—but we didn’t always have the best advice. Subsequently we were advised to restructure our stock plan, so we did. That didn’t go over well with those first 3 employees, they lawyered up real fast.
Fall
One of my employees was on site at a client doing some work on their server. She was on a step ladder when she lost her footing. She grabbed the rack because that’s what was in front of her. Everything would have been fine if it had been anchored to the wall. But it wasn’t. The whole thing went down with her. And on top of her.
Harassment
I looked around the office one day and I realized we’d turned into a real boys’ club. That’s not the kind of company I want to run so we started working to recruit more women. Should have planned for some sensitivity training or gotten someone to teach my team of overgrown frat boys how to behave. Within 6 months we were facing a harassment suit.
Your Property
From laptops to servers to giant awe-inspiring displays, a significant portion of your business’s critical property is electronic. Which means it, and your productivity, are susceptible to water, smoke, fire, theft, electrical problems and more. These potential business interruptions could mean lost data, lost clients or worse.
11% of employees committing fraud have a postgraduate degree.
Fire
Last time the power went out my servers were down for a week. After that I learned my lesson and invested in a back-up generator. During that storm last month my generator kicked in and the servers kept going. But, the generator I got wasn’t powerful enough to run the AC. The servers overheated and something short circuited sparking a fire—and the sprinklers.
Water Damage
We were going to be setting up a satellite office for one of our clients. We were still waiting for some components to come in, so in the meantime we were storing everything in our basement. Then, the pipes backed up and flooded the whole basement. It was a mess, everything was ruined—computers, monitors, servers, cables, all of it.
From computer programming to data processing
Technology plays a part in just about everything we do: shopping, communicating, driving, art. Even insurance. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find an aspect of our lives not touched by technology. Which means your Technology Services business is probably pretty busy. Too busy to be juggling multiple policies and worrying about which one provides which coverage.
THREE provides comprehensive coverage for:
IT Consulting
IT Project Management
IT Software Training Services
Application Service Provider
Computer Consulting
Database Design
Data Processing
Network & Systems Administration
Computer Hardware Engineering
Computer Network Development
Computer Programming & Design
Software Development
Small business coverage then.
Small business coverage now.
Questions? Speak with a THREE Small Business Advisor.
Call 1-800-507-4495.
An ounce of prevention
The best way to protect your business is to educate your staff to help prevent risky situations to begin with. In addition to online training tools, THREE offers these convenient posters that you can print out and start using right now.
Your Operations
Your People