Craig Stewart – Managing Director Ultron Digital Business

The challenge is that many SMEs simply cannot afford the IT skills they need. “For an SME, keeping all their IT-related products and skills in-house can be unaffordable,” says Pratima Pillay, head of software services at Altron Digital Business. Cost constraints also mean that SMEs are more likely to choose less efficient technology options that do not address their security vulnerabilities. However, as Pillay points out, these cheap technology options often have long-term financial implications for organizations as well as consumers and compromise their reputation, especially if they protect businesses from cyber and ransomware attacks. Fail to save.

This is why Altron has introduced a suite of services aimed at providing SMEs with a comprehensive solution that provides all the IT expertise they need in a cost-effective package. A ‘CIO inbox’ if you will. This suite of services will take care of all the digital needs of the business, leaving management to focus on what matters most: sustainable growth and customer satisfaction.

Altron’s ‘CIO in a Box’ suite of services includes:

Simplis-ITa remote management and monitoring toolset that offers remote service desk functionality, deploys patches, monitors antivirus software and is also used for customer satisfaction and monitoring.

Privileged Access Management (PAM) service Based on the cybersecurity best practice principle of least privilege, where users have only the minimum level of access to perform their work to reduce the organization’s attack surface and reduce the risk of malicious attacks. Access is available.

Microsoft PilotAn AI-powered tool that supports Microsoft 365 users with automation features. And Device as a Service (DaaS), essentially a bundle of all a business’s IT hardware and software under its rental model, ensures that modern IT infrastructure is more affordable for small businesses. .

“SMEs are a key driver of growth and job creation in the South African economy. Providing efficient and cost-effective solutions that allow SMEs to adopt digital technologies will enable scale in these businesses,” says Play. The solution has been successfully implemented at a leading beauty salon chain and a local tech-driven primary healthcare provider with both businesses reporting significant cost savings.

Bear in mind the SME security gap

SMEs are particularly vulnerable to cyber attacks. It is estimated that half of all SMEs will experience a cyber security incident in 2023 and 25% will experience more than one. Altron has the ability and expertise to conduct a comprehensive security assessment on each customer to identify areas of vulnerability, including a review of any third-party products to ensure they are fit for purpose. are “When it comes to security, you’re only as strong as your weakest link, which is why our security consultants create a roadmap for every customer, vulnerability in hardware, software and even processes. “Identify the areas, which result in the most appropriate recommendations. Close the gap,” says Play.

In addition to reducing the risk and cost of a security breach, Altron’s CIO in a Box solution provides improved process efficiency, data and workflow visibility and audit history, making it easier to meet compliance requirements. , can reduce information turnaround time. Applications and legal processes allow organizations to retire legacy third-party software. It is also easy to adopt, use and manage.

No one can predict when the next crowd strike-scale outage might occur, or how much it might cost. But the nature of digital business means that phishing, data leaks, compliance, cloud services, algorithms, data analytics and artificial intelligence will be everyday challenges now and in the future. Even if many small businesses cannot afford the expertise of a CIO, the reality is that they cannot afford to operate without this level of expertise.

Fortunately, there is a solution. To learn more about Altron Digital Business and whether it might be a good fit for your business and your budget, click here.