In the aftermath of back-to-back holiday parties, eventful family gatherings, year-end celebrations and, generally, too much food, there emerges the New Year’s resolution.

It’s common practice for people to evaluate their lives at this point, and to consider what they can do to make the coming year their best yet. Why shouldn’t they apply that same thinking to their businesses?

Jamie Brenzel, serial entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Data Deposit Box (www.datadepositbox.com), an online backup service provider based in Toronto, says this kind of thinking has been key to his company’s success.

“The beginning of a new year is like a clean slate,” says Brenzel. “It gives me an opportunity to think about where I want the business to be a year from now and how I’m going to take it there.”

Brenzel says that for most businesses these days, competition is fiercer than ever. Small business owners must be on top of their game in order to survive. Here, he suggests his three most critical small business resolutions for 2010.

• Protect Yourself: Brenzel points to a recent study by research group IDC concluding that as many as 72 percent of businesses that suffer major data loss disappear within 24 months. He urges small business owners to back up their important files with a trusted backup provider, take steps to protect their intellectual property by reminding employees and partners of data sensitivity and regularly change company passwords to avoid easy break-ins.
• Work Smarter to Save Costs: Brenzel cites a number of new technologies that allow business owners to do important tasks easier and with less overhead. Outsourcing IT and making use of free and low-cost cloud technologies to run lean shops offer small businesses advantages over competition who may be feeling the pain of a bloated organization during these tough economic times. A recent report from Info-Tech Research Group shows that businesses can achieve an average cost savings of 27 percent by outsourcing their IT infrastructure.
• Be More Social: A personal and business resolution for Brenzel, he notes that businesses that build strong relationships with their customers are those that will thrive. Brenzel is encouraging his employees to engage with customers in person and through today’s popular social media tools to foster customer loyalty and drive new business.

“By making sure our business is protected from inevitable disasters, leveraging technology to run a lean operation and spending more time getting to know our customers, we are ensuring that our business is primed for growth in 2010,” adds Brenzel. “I’d encourage all small business owners to consider these and their own resolutions as they get ready for the new year.”