The year is coming to an end, 2019 is upon us, and there are tech-related tasks you might want to complete before starting the new year.
We have provided a checklist of best practices for leaving your technology equipment the right way and starting the New Year off right! Use this end of year IT audit checklist to make sure your company is ready for the new year.
Your IT Audit checklist:
Data Backups.
Backups are crucial and should be performed regularly to ensure that data is recoverable in the event of loss, theft, or a major catastrophe. Without properly configured, regular backups, the next best thing to do is a manual backup of critical devices, such as servers, virtual machines, application-critical workstations, accounting, etc.
Something as simple as a database dump will go a long way, and save you precious time!
Maintenance and cleanup.
Temporary files and cache build up over time. Maybe you have regular maintenance scheduled to keep this nice and clean. Regardless, it’s suggested to perform a full cleanup. This will free up some storage space, disable unused accounts, and clean all cookies.
Evaluate your current IT Support.
Whether your IT Team resides in-house or is outsourced, do yourself a favor and review the past year together. Talk about what worked well and what didn’t. Discuss your business goals for the New Year and ask questions about technology trends, and what others are doing and if improvements should be made to your own IT environment. The last thing you want is to find out your IT needs demand new solutions you didn’t budget for.
Technology Inventory Update.
An updated inventory of your technology will help to avoid unnecessary purchases, prepare for future budgeting, and keep a record of your technology assets. This includes all company-owned devices, phones, serial numbers, models. etc.
Clear out the garbage.
Now is the time to unload all that old technology you do not use! Get rid of the broken hardware, or peripherals. If you have hardware that is still in good working order, donate it to charity; and submit the receipts to accounting for write-offs.
Our favorite end of year to-do.
Clean your desk! Dust your monitors, wipe down your laptop. You’ll be surprised by what you’ll find, but nothing feels nicer than sitting down January 2nd; or 3rd, to a clean workspace.
So, how ready are you to tackle the New Year? Share this it audit checklist with your team members to get them on the same page.
If you need assistance, reach out to us here.
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