As we close the book on 2019 and look ahead to 2020, we’re all curious about what trends might affect our businesses and our lives in the new year. And it’s hard to think of an industry more dynamic, with new trends from one moment to the next, than technology.

Still, as your managed services provider, we wanted to give you some sense of what kinds of developments we see coming down the pike in the new year. While no one has a crystal ball, our team of technology experts have some educated predictions about what we can expect in technology, from consumer devices to cybersecurity, in 2019. Our hope is that these predictions will be helpful to you in your business planning, as even developments in consumer tech might affect your customers in interesting ways. Plus, if you’re anything like us, thinking about what technology might make possible in the near future is just plain fun.

Affinity is excited to announce that Charles Latham has joined our growing team as our Support Team Lead Engineer. In this role, Charles will provide excellent, friendly support to our clients’ end-users and will serve as an escalation point for Affinity staff, ensuring that all issues are addressed quickly and efficiently.

Affinity is thrilled to announce that Javon Fields has joined our team as Design Desk Specialist and Project Coordinator. In this role, Javon (pronounced Jay-von) will work with Affinity’s virtual CIOs to design best-in-class technology solutions that will empower Affinity’s clients to grow. He will also work with Affinity’s Project Team to coordinate smooth, impactful project work with client stakeholders.

In 2010, record rainfall caused catastrophic flooding in both downtown Nashville and in surrounding communities, throughout the metro area and beyond. Nashvillians remember the eerie photographs of landmarks like LP Field (now Nissan Stadium), the Schermerhorn, and Opry Mills under water.

The flood took a heavy toll on local businesses. According to the Tennessean, somewhere between 300 and 400 local businesses remained closed after the flood, unable to recover from their losses.

Nashvillians understand, then, that natural disasters can pose a heavy threat to businesses. Unfortunately, however, many business owners don’t think past insurance as a safeguard. To truly be prepared for natural disasters, it’s essential that businesses consider and implement strategies to safeguard the continued functionality and accessibility of their key systems and data.

In today’s business landscape, industry-specialized software propels small and mid-sized businesses of all types. Construction firms manage building projects with Construction Management Software. Doctors’ offices easily track patient records using Electronic Medical Records (EMR) solutions. And nonprofits utilize specialized software to track and process fundraising efforts. Industry-specific software exists everywhere from funeral homes to marketing firms, HVAC installers, hospitality, shipping and receiving, ministry, and pet grooming.

 There’s no question that industry-specific, line-of-business (LOB) software can serve as an engine for growth and better work for businesses and organizations of all shapes and sizes. However, the more companies rely on software deeply integrated into their specific workflows, the more important it becomes to make sure that the right software is in place and that it is implemented and managed well. Because the failure or poor performance of such software can be a source of endless headaches in the workplace, which always translate into less productivity and profitability.

 To help you think through how well your industry-specific software is serving your business’s needs, let’s approach some of the questions business need to ask themselves, and let’s find some solutions.

It’s no secret that, in what many have dubbed the “gig economy,” the number of freelancers and the types of work they offer have grown in recent years. According to Forbes, a third of today’s workforce identifies as a “subcontractor”. Millennials make up 40% of this workforce, and 92% of millennials, in general, desire to work in a freelance capacity.

For many small and mid-sized businesses, this has been a welcome development. Freelancers and subcontractors provide flexibility for businesses, allowing them to avoid the expense of full-time employees for part-time needs, as well as the flexibility to hire seasonally, when demand is high.

Still, the use of freelancers and subcontractors without strategically considering how they will mesh with your current employees, processes, and information systems can pose serious risks for your company—especially when it comes to cyber security. A revolving cast of subcontractors, combined with a lack of appropriate security safeguards on your network and data systems, is a recipe for disaster.

It's not uncommon for small and mid-sized companies to assume they’re safe from cyber criminals. They reason that their smaller scale and lower level of visibility make them less enticing to would-be crooks.

Unfortunately, this is a mistake.

According to recent cyber security studies, small businesses may be a bigger, and easier, target than larger ones. Criminals suspect, too often accurately, that small businesses may not be paying enough attention to protecting their data. 

Affinity is thrilled to announce that Alex Taylor has joined our growing team as a Systems Administrator. As a member of Affinity’s Project Team, Alex will work to power our clients’ growth by implementing new systems seamlessly into their environments.

Assuming that your company has the appropriate baseline cyber security safeguards in place, the greatest threat to your data security is likely social engineering attacks—where fraudsters prey on the human instinct to trust in order to trick your employees into giving up access to information or funds. The most common social engineering attacks come in the form of phishing emails. And, unfortunately, these have a huge impact on business security; researchers estimate that around 91% of data breaches begin with a phishing email.

Greater Nashville’s flourishing nonprofit sector stands as one of the region’s greatest assets. Our communities are full of organizations devoted to making the world a better place by helping people, preserving our environment, and cultivating a positive culture. And these organizations, like all others, rely on technology to make their impact.

Affinity is pleased to welcome Henk Crafford aboard as Systems Administrator. Henk will join Affinity’s Support Team, working to partner with clients to ensure the smooth operation and security of their technology systems.

Affinity is pleased to announce the promotion of John Bannister to Design Desk Specialist. In this new position, John will design systems and strategies to improve the security and efficiency of clients’ technology infrastructures.

It may be hard to believe, but Windows 7 is now 10 years old. In computer years, that’s ancient, which is why Microsoft will stop supporting the OS on January 14, 2020. 

This means that if you have computers running Windows 7 in your business, you will need to take action before the end of support date. To help you understand the implications of this change for your business, and to jumpstart your planning, here’s a list of frequently asked questions about the end of support for Windows 7.