As a small or medium enterprise (SME) you set up your business to deliver a service, manufacture or produce goods for customers. However, there comes a time when you have to consider outsourcing functions of your business such as finance, IT, HR or Health & Safety.

In a recent EMC and Vanson Bourne survey of more than 10,000 IT managers, 71% said they believe IT must serve as in-house brokers for on-demand services to help business growth. One imagines that, immediately after answering that question, they emitted a collective groan.

VAs are becoming a more popular hire than ever before. But if you’ve never worked with a VA before, you’ll undoubtedly have some questions. Here, I cover off all of the most frequently asked questions around my profession, its perks and just how a VA could work with and for businesses to offer their services.

Most people and companies would never take risks with data stored on premises. Yet when it comes to cloud data, a ‘debate’ seems to have emerged as to whether one need even consider backup.

Let’s start off with an uncomfortable truth. The bottom line is that your IT systems are vulnerable. As you’ll have seen in the press, even with access to the best technology and talent, high-profile businesses, financial institutions, and governments are not immune to the possibility of an IT breach.