All posts by Chris Turn

With the coming deadline for tax season, you need to consider how you are going to go about fulfilling your business’ tax requirements. A lot of companies find it much easier to run a tax audit with third-party assistance. 

A tax audit is essential to make sure that all of your reporting obligations are adhered to and your business is running tax-efficiently. But, why does it make sense to outsource this part of business instead of handling in-house IT? Let’s take a look at some of the different reasons why it is recommended to outsource tax audits, and how the right IT help can prepare you.

Why Outsourcing Helps

One of the main reasons why it makes sense to outsource this part of your business is because you can benefit from an expert service. If you do not have any experience in finances, you may not be able to guarantee that you are dealing with your tax audit in the most effective and beneficial manner. 

This is why it makes sense to use the services of experienced tax accountants who know exactly what is needed, and have run many different tax audits before. You can make the most of their expertise to ensure that you are not missing out on any tax breaks available to you.

Another reason to consider outsourcing your tax audits, is that it can save your business money; many people do not consider outsourcing because they fear it is going to be more expensive, but this is often not the case. (Don’t forget to file your insurance as well to get 

The reason tax outsourcing is typically cheaper is that you are better guaranteed to receive all of the tax breaks available to you, so you are not missing out by paying more tax than you should be! Not only this but handling tax audits in-house can be more expensive, especially if you are going to need to invest in training your employees. 

Outsourcing Provides Peace of Mind

Not only is outsourcing helpful for your tax break, but it really helps bolster your IT. When you outsource your IT, you welcome a competent team of IT professionals who can help you with data storage to ensure you have all your tax files organized, on hand, and safely stored for future reference.

By outsourcing tax audits, you free up the time you would have spent to delegate towards your own business. You can focus on your core activities, which will ultimately boost your bottom line, and instead, you can let the accounting experts handle your tax returns for you. This works the same for your IT, as you can have confidence that any problem you might come across in taxes won’t be caused by IT, since you have the best care you can have.

If you work with an IT consultant, they can help you know what issues might be slowing down your productivity and what you can do to improve in order to run your business efficiently as technically possible.

All businesses are going to have assets that they can’t afford to lose. However, if the asset is valuable to the business, you can assume it will have value to those who might steal it, as well. Digital equipment, machinery, and even data can all be stolen.

Workplace security is the means by which we combat that very real threat of theft and unauthorized access. Today, workplace security works in a few different ways. Here are some of the ways you can neutralize potential and existing threats to the business.

Preventing unauthorized access

Not every individual who visits the workplace may need to have access to the assets that you have. For things like the inventory in the stockroom and highly valuable equipment, access should be controlled physically, such as with the use of ID-based restrictions. 

For digital assets, such as valuable and sensitive data, you should ensure that you use systems with two-step authentication and passwords, as well as access control to make sure that every user has to verify their identity and that each individual user account has access to only the data that’s relevant to them.

Surveillance and alerts

Anticipation of security threats in the workplace is crucial. For physical assets, this can mean using things like wireless surveillance systems, alongside security alarm systems so that you are alerted to the unauthorized presence in the property as soon as possible. 

For digital systems, this might mean working with a managed cybersecurity team who can monitor logs from a range of digital access points that can raise the alarm as soon as there is any suspicious activity. From there, they can lock down certain parts of the system, stopping the spread of any threats until it is resolved.

Creating a strong security policy

The security systems in place are only going to be as effective as the team that is operating them. As such, frequent training on workplace security threats and the creation and maintenance of a comprehensive security policy is key. 

Your team needs to know what steps to follow in the event of a potential breach. Rather than leaving it entirely up to their discretion, security and crisis management policies can help direct them to productively dealing with them as soon as they can.

Determining and preparing for threats

In order to make sure that you are putting strong security policies in place, you should start with an evaluation of the security needs of the workplace. A risk assessment will help you figure out what you need to protect and how it is currently unprotected. From there, you can work with the right physical security and cybersecurity management teams to find the best options to correct those threats.

With the help of strong security policies, the right equipment, and the help of a cybersecurity management team, you can make sure that your business is protected from the threat that criminals pose. Take the time to identify the assets that you value, the security threats that exist around them, and what you can do to close those gaps.

You can implement communication and safety strategies and technology, but if the people are not effectively using them, their purpose can be undermined. Here, we are going to look at how effective leadership is necessary for cementing workplace safety standards, through both effective communication and the implementation of tools like smart manufacturing communication systems.

The Role of the Decision-Makers

Leaders are, by definition, those who set the direction of the workplace, meaning that they make the majority of decisions that impact their workers. As such, strong correlations have been found between workplace safety and how much focus the leaders put on it. As such, stakeholders and leaders should be made aware of safety matters, as well as involved and invested in the management of safety processes.

Failing to understand the workplace realities and risks associated with them can result in leaders who implement poorly thought through and dangerous policies, either failing to address the major workplace safety concerns, or addressing them in an ineffective and counterproductive way. In order to make sure that leaders address safety concerns correctly, they must be more involved with the regular management of risks.

How Leaders Can Tip the Scales

It’s not just the active decision making of leaders that can influence how workplace safety is handled in the workplace. There are ways to passively undermine or support the work of safety officers, protocols, and standards in the workplace, as well. 

For instance, if a leader gives an order that runs contrary to a safety protocol, it can lead to not only the immediate endangerment of an employee, but also the undermining of more than that single safety protocol, affecting worker attitude to workplace safety much more widely.

Similarly, failing to understand how employees interface with safety concerns is a risk, too. If you make it part of your safety protocol that employees must report safety concerns that they are personally involved with to a direct superior or assigned safety officer, the leaders can get a better idea of what kinds of hazards the workers deal with.

Establishing the Right Standards

Leaders play the biggest role in controlling how much investment goes into workplace safety, and how much of a focus is placed on implementing any solutions effectively. For instance, manufacturing communication systems can help implement emergency notifications and other key methods of reacting to and mitigating emergencies that employees could rely on. 

However, this is only likely to happen if the leadership invests in the installation and training necessary to make it a core tool for the workforce. Without that leadership, these technologies are more likely to go unused than not. Leaders must ensure that there is an emphasis on the systemization of safety solutions.

Leaders Must Take More Responsibility in Establishing a Safe Workplace Culture

Your team does have a large role to play when it comes to establishing effective workplace safety. However, it is your leadership, in setting and maintaining safety standards, adopting new technologies, and enforcing the rules, that sets the precedent for safer protocol. You cannot underestimate the impact of the leaders in regards to implementing a healthy culture of safety.

Small businesses, especially in big business areas like Southern California, may think that they are less likely to experience hacking or data theft because they aren’t as well known as other businesses.

However, they actually face an increased risk of a cyber attack because they generally have fewer security measures in place. 

In fact, more than half of all small businesses that suffer a data breach will go out of business within six months. A data breach can have serious long-term effects on a small business.

Your business reputation could be damaged and you could lose customers. Successful hacking can also dramatically increase expenses in damage control and decrease revenue.

Fortunately, you can protect your business by understanding the security risks you face. Here are 3 signs that your Southern California business needs a risk assessment as soon as possible:

1. You’re Working Remotely

Remote working is more popular than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there are many benefits to working at home such as a better work-life balance, no more commuting, and savings on office space, it’s important to be aware of the downsides and threats to your business that remote work can bring. 

As companies increasingly turn to remote working solutions, it’s important for them to keep their employees and data safe from cyber attacks. 

Without proper procedures and security measures in place, your company may unintentionally expose sensitive information, or data may be stolen as it crosses networks and platforms. 

There are several ways to secure your business data, even while everyone is working remotely. First, consider investing in cloud solutions, which allow your employees to access company data wherever they are. 

Second, create a training course for your remote workers which teaches them about how to avoid phishing attempts, how to create secure passwords, and how to keep business data secure. 

Third, if you are working remote and connecting to your business systems onsite, at your company location, then have the proper security technologies in place that assist in mitigating your risk posture. If you are not sure, we can review and help tighten up any vulnerable areas.  

2. You Don’t Have a Managed Service Provider

There are endless ways for your data to become vulnerable to attacks, so it’s important to stay up-to-date on red flags and preventative measures in order to keep data secure. This level of protection is a full-time job that requires specialized knowledge and experience. 

Since your business may not have the resources to hire an in-house IT department, it is worthwhile to explore other trusted IT management systems such as a Managed Service Provider (MSP). 

An MSP manages all technology risks and implements preventative measures for a business. A Managed Service Provider will monitor your systems day and night so that your data is never left vulnerable.

They also make sure that your company is secure from even the most advanced  cyber threats. 

In addition, they perform regular risk assessments for your business. A risk assessment includes an analysis of your current protection methods to detect any weaknesses. 

Examining your current system helps an MSP to know where to increase security. Finding these weak points before they turn into leaks can help your business avoid a costly breach. 

3. You Don’t Have a VPN

If your business normally relies on in-house servers to secure its data, a VPN or Virtual Private Network is key. VPNs allow your employees to connect to your onsite servers securely over the Internet. 

A VPN also ensures all data traveling over the connection remains encrypted, ensuring unauthorized users are unable to view it. If you do not have VPN, your business data is at risk for potential exposure. 

With so much data being stored and sent between coworkers and customers, there are many opportunities for that information to be lost or stolen. Protecting your Southern California business with the help of a risk assessment from a trusted IT company in Ventura will help protect sensitive material from being intercepted by those with malicious intent.