The life of an IT manager can often feel like a thankless task. Staying on top of daily and weekly tasks can be difficult when problems and projects shift your focus away from basic housekeeping.

Could it be time for an IT spring clean in your business?

The daffodils are peeping through the frosty earth and crocus filling the verges with much-needed colour – spring is on the way.

A thorough spring clean was traditional at this time of year; getting the house in order after the dark winter months. Could your IT function benefit from reviving this tradition?

Instigate an IT spring clean

• Go through your store cupboard of old IT kit and dispose of it properly. Wipe before selling, or recycling as per the WEEE directive (The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive).

• When was the last time you conducted an application audit? Do you feel confident that there is no legacy or unnecessary software on your PCs and laptops?

• If you haven’t done it for a while, complete a data audit across all users and devices throughout the organisation. This is also the first step to help you meet your responsibilities under GDPR. What information are you holding that can be defensibly deleted?

• When was the last time you reviewed user privileges? Do users who have access to sensitive information understand the risk? Are they using passwords appropriately aligned with your security policy?

• Check your backups. Are they capturing everything they are supposed to be capturing? What devices, apps or data have you added since you last set up the backups that now needs adding to your backup programme?

• Audit your user accounts. Investigate the inactive accounts and, if necessary, delete.

• Review your current Mobile Device/BYOD policy. Be aware how people can potentially access business information and what the current risk associated with that is.

Ongoing Housekeeping

Now you’ve taken the time to get your house in order, ongoing day-to-day tasks should be easier. Keep on top by:

• Reviewing user access rights on a regular basis.

• Deleting user accounts/ IDs when staff leave.

• Changing passwords on services accounts and social media accounts when staff who used them leave.

• Getting a process in place for wiping hard drives before recycling them – don’t hold onto obsolete technology.

• Keeping your data and application audits up to date.

• Put processes in place for automatic updates wherever possible. Ensure updates are actually happening.

If you’d like to get your house in order but time is a constraint, why not call in additional IT support on a project-by-project basis to get the work done?

Grant McGregor can help you – offering the IT support you need, as and when you need it. Call to speak with one of our team on 0808 164 4142.