Most business technology problems don’t start with a disaster.
They start with habits.
Small shortcuts people know aren’t ideal, but feel necessary because work is busy and time is limited.
“We’ll deal with that later.”
“This works for now.”
“We don’t have time to fix it properly.”
Your business has a list of habits like this.
You know the ones. Everyone knows they’re risky or inefficient. Everyone still does them because “it’s fine” and “we’re busy.”
Until it’s not fine.
Here are six bad tech habits we see all the time — and what to do instead.
Habit #1: Clicking “Remind Me Later” on Updates
That little button has done more damage to small businesses than any hacker ever could.
We get it. Nobody wants a restart in the middle of the day. But those updates aren’t just adding features; they’re often patching security holes that hackers are actively exploiting.
“Later” turns into weeks. Weeks turn into months. And now you’re running software with known vulnerabilities that criminals already have the keys to.
Things like the WannaCry ransomware attack crippled businesses worldwide. How? It exploited a vulnerability that Microsoft had patched two months earlier. Every victim had clicked “remind me later” one too many times.
The cost: companies in more than 150 countries lost billions as business ground to a halt.
Quit it: Schedule updates for the end of the day or let your IT partner push them in the background. No drama. No surprise resets. No open doors for attackers.
Habit #2: The One Password That Works Everywhere
You’ve got a favorite password.
It “meets requirements.” It feels strong. It’s easy to remember. And you use it everywhere: email, banking, Amazon, your accounting software, that random industry forum you signed up for three years ago.
Here’s the problem: data breaches happen constantly. That random forum? Its database got leaked, and your email-password combination is now on a list being sold to hackers for pennies.
They don’t have to guess your banking password. They already have it. They just try it everywhere and see what opens.
This is called credential stuffing. Your “strong” password becomes a master key — and someone else has a copy.
Quit it: Use a password manager. Full stop. When it’s set up and managed properly, your team only has to remember one master password. It generates and stores unique, complex passwords for everything else. Setup takes minutes. Peace of mind lasts much longer. If you want help getting this in place, we can take care of it for you.
Habit #3: Sharing Passwords Over Text or Email
“Hey, can you send me the login for the shared account?”
“Sure! It’s admin@company.com, password is Summer2024!”
Sent via Slack, text, or email. Problem solved in 30 seconds.
Except now that message lives forever.
In your sent folder. In their inbox. Backed up to the cloud. Searchable. Forwardable. If anyone’s email ever gets compromised, attackers can search for “password” and harvest everything.
It’s like writing your house key on a postcard and mailing it.
Quit it: Use password manager sharing features. Access can be granted and revoked without ever exposing the password. No permanent record floating around email archives.
Habit #4: Making Everyone an Admin Because “It’s Easier”
Someone needed to install something once. Or change a setting. Instead of assigning specific permissions, they were made an admin.
Now half your team has full admin rights.
Admin access means the ability to install software, disable security tools, change system settings, and delete files. If those credentials get phished, attackers inherit all that power.
Ransomware loves admin accounts. More access equals more damage, faster.
Giving everyone admin rights is like giving everyone the keys to the safe because one person once needed a stapler.
Quit it: Follow the principle of least privilege. People get access to exactly what they need — nothing more. It takes a little longer up front and saves a lot later.
Habit #5: “Temporary” Fixes That Became Permanent
Something broke. You found a workaround.
“We’ll fix it properly later.”
That was years ago.
Now the workaround is just “how things are done.” Extra steps. Special knowledge. Fragile processes that fall apart when one thing changes.
Those extra steps add up to lost productivity. Worse, they create systems that depend on memory instead of structure.
Quit it: Make a list of workarounds your team relies on. Then get help fixing them properly so your systems work the way they should.
Habit #6: The Spreadsheet That Runs Your Entire Business
You know the one.
One Excel file. Too many tabs. A formula chain nobody fully understands. Three people know how it works. One of them no longer works there.
If that file corrupts, what’s the backup plan? If the expert leaves, who maintains it?
That spreadsheet is a single point of failure.
Spreadsheets don’t scale. They don’t audit well. They’re rarely backed up correctly. You’ve built a critical system on digital duct tape.
Quit it: Document the process the spreadsheet supports, then move it into tools designed for the job. CRMs, scheduling systems, inventory tools — platforms with backups, permissions, and accountability.
Why These Habits Are So Hard to Break
You already knew most of these were bad ideas.
The issue isn’t knowledge. It’s time.
Bad tech habits stick around because:
- The consequences are invisible until they’re expensive
- The “right way” feels slower in the moment
- Everyone else does it, so it feels normal
Normal doesn’t mean safe.
How Businesses Actually Break These Habits
Willpower doesn’t fix tech problems.
Systems do.
The businesses that succeed don’t rely on people remembering to “do better.” They change the environment so the right behavior becomes the default:
- Updates happen automatically
- Password managers eliminate insecure sharing
- Permissions are centrally managed
- Workarounds are replaced with real solutions
- Critical processes live in proper systems
That’s what a good IT partner does.
Not lectures.
Not scare tactics.
Real fixes that make work easier and safer.
Ready to Fix the Tech Habits Holding Your Business Back?
Book a 15-minute Discovery Call.
We’ll learn how your business works, identify risky shortcuts, and give you a clear roadmap forward.
No judgment. No jargon. Just a cleaner, safer, more efficient year ahead.
Schedule your 15-minute discovery call here
Because small habits shouldn’t turn into big problems.
