Last year, global IT spending reached nearly $4 trillion, with companies spending on average more than 3% of their revenue on technology. Considering the rising tide of cyberthreats to counter, and the constantly evolving demands of customers, these figures aren’t likely to get smaller in the foreseeable future.

January 14, 2020 is an important date for businesses. Also known as Windows 7 end of life (EOL), it’s the date when developer support and updates, including security patches, come to an end for the very popular operating system (OS).

Using Windows 7 past this date will be considerably risky for any business that does so.

Business owners must be realistic about how they deal with catastrophes and prepare for them now. Baltimore businesses, in particular, are no stranger to devastating disasters. In May, the region experienced massive flooding that halted all business activities, resulting in millions of dollars in damage and lost revenue.