Housekeeping IT procedures for the coming year
This slower end-of-year period is the ideal time to go over the finer details of your company’s software and make sure your IT systems are as productive as possible. The festive season gives business owners a unique chance to monitor and review their operation, without disrupting colleagues or delaying targets. So while your office is still relatively quiet, here are a three basic checks you can perform that are likely to save you time and money during 2014.
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- Updates are crucial to the well-being of your IT infrastructure, and ideally they will be downloaded automatically. However, missing just one or two updates, especially those relating to your antivirus and antimalware computer protection, can increase the risk of data security breaches and software incompatibilities. Therefore, go through your computers to ensure they are running the latest versions of each application, and then set every machine to check for updates and download them automatically in future.
- Your second task should be carrying out a review of your outsourcing contracts. Think about your hopes for 2014; if your business is expanding you will need the IT to get you there, so consider whether or not your current managed service provider has the technology to match your ideas.
- Finally, look at your hardware with a critical eye and see if your IT equipment is sufficient to carry you through 2014. If any PCs are glitchy or suffer from other performance issues, it may be time to buy a replacement or a spare, in case it is needed. Without a contingency plan, staff members can suffer an entire day’s downtime because of a faulty PC, so plan ahead and get your office shipshape for the coming year.
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