The leaves are turning and there’s a chill in the air.  Time for apple cider and pumpkin carving, right?  Well, yes but more importantly, it’s time for 2022 planning and budgeting.

Society is in a different position from this time last year and things feel more normal than they have in a long time.  Businesses have returned to their offices or have settled into a hybrid model for remote work.  People are taking vacations again and finding ways to disconnect from work.  With many positives, 2021 certainly had some challenges as well.  IT departments have had a difficult year with increased (and advanced) cyberattacks, a challenging jobs market, and balancing the renewed focus on data security.  It’s time to focus on the future though.  It’s time to look ahead and determine what components are important when putting together your 2022 IT plans.

Here are some important concepts to consider as you begin planning for next year.

Cybersecurity

Threats are increasing in frequency and rapidly intensifying.  After reviewing some of the biggest attacks from 2021, it’s clear that no business (or industry) is immune to threats.  It’s time to ask, ‘how do we enhance our cybersecurity plan?’  The approach needs to be holistic, taking into account the way in which your employees work, where they want to work from, and the vulnerabilities your current infrastructure leaves.  There are solutions available that can support the development and improvement of your cybersecurity plan including pen testing, vulnerability scanning, or hiring a managed cybersecurity firm.  It’s time to investigate available solutions that can support the development and improvement of your cybersecurity plan in our ever-changing world.

Skills Gap & Staffing Issues

IT departments are facing their own challenges related to expertise and availability.  Staffing shortages are hitting the nation hard, but in addition, the IT industry is faced with intense demand for highly trained IT employees (particularly in cybersecurity).  Businesses are continuing daily operations while working to resolve these issues with proactive sourcing, staffing partnerships, or requesting support from managed service providers.  Outsourcing is increasingly becoming the popular route for businesses to efficiently complete IT projects in this challenging hiring environment.    

Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity

Now that most of the chaos from 2020 is over and recovery has been the theme for 2021, it’s important to review the disaster recovery and business continuity plans as we enter into the next year.  It’s important to learn what we can from that experience, see where your strengths arose, and determine what was the most challenging.  Ask the question, ‘Are the disaster recovery and business continuity plans where we need them to be?’ 

Remote Access Support

Even if your business has returned to work, employees still need access to internal business systems from anywhere.  Knowing this model is here to stay, it’s important to ask if your business has the infrastructure in place to maintain the support of that?  Take a deep dive into the critical security components of remote work and ensure your business assets are protected while employees leverage the benefit of this technology.

We know this list doesn’t cover everything and there will also be additional needs your business has to take into consideration.  We understand the need to balance business goals, department needs, and the workload of your team.  Whether you have a few questions on infrastructure solutions or you are ready to implement new cybersecurity tactics, the experts at Advanticom are here to help with ways to enhance operations and improve efficiency as we plan for 2022.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact [email protected].