How healthy is your IT?

Monitoring means something is watching for failures, disk space and performance problems around the clock — not only when someone notices.

Patching covers operating systems, applications and device firmware. Automated means it happens on a schedule, without anyone having to remember.

Hardware still under warranty and still receiving vendor updates. Equipment past end of life costs more to run and cannot be properly secured.

A backup you have never restored is only a hope. Testing means restoring real data and confirming that it opens.

A written plan covering who does what, in what order, and how quickly systems should be back — reviewed at least once a year.

Multi-factor authentication asks for a second proof of identity. Enforced means required for everyone — directors and shared accounts included.

Endpoint detection and response goes further than traditional antivirus: it spots suspicious behaviour, not only known files.

Scans look for known weaknesses in your systems and software, so they can be fixed before somebody else finds them.

Short, regular training on phishing, passwords and handling data safely. Most incidents begin with a person, not a firewall.

A plan for the first hour of an incident — who is called, what is isolated, who tells customers — rehearsed rather than filed away.

Cloud platforms change constantly. An audit checks that settings, sharing rules and defaults still match your policy.

A regular check of who can reach what, so people who changed role or left the business do not keep their old access.

Data encrypted at rest and in transit, held in a known location, with a lawful basis and a retention period recorded.

Rules for who can create teams and sites, how external sharing works, and what happens to content when a project ends.

A controlled route into business systems from outside the office, rather than services published straight onto the internet.

A short document connecting what the business wants to achieve over the next one to three years with the technology needed to do it.

A known annual spend covering licences, hardware refresh, support and projects — reviewed, rather than reacted to.

Written rules covering acceptable use, passwords, joiners and leavers, and how the common tasks are actually done.

One accountable point of contact, rather than several suppliers who each point at the other when something breaks.

Whether energy use, device lifespan, responsible disposal and green hosting form part of how you choose and run technology.