10 New Year’s IT Resolutions for 2022

January is a time to set some goals for the year ahead, and you’re probably already thinking about what you hope to achieve with your business this year. Your IT systems underpin your business operations, so now’s the time to start as you mean to go on in the IT department with some IT-themed resolutions. Which of these will you be adding to your business’s 2022 New Year’s Resolutions?

1. Strengthen your cyber security

It’s always a good time to strengthen your cyber security, but with cyber attacks growing ever more sophisticated, there’s no time like the present. From simple measures like using stronger passwords and multi-factor authentication, to investing in sophisticated antivirus software, there’s plenty you can do to protect your IT systems from the ever-present threat of malicious activity. If you’re on Office 365, adding extra protection to your company e-mail is surprisingly simple thanks to the advanced threat protection offered by Microsoft 365 Defender.

2. Implement the right monitoring regime

A good IT monitoring regime is vital for spotting potential issues early and nipping them in the bud before they grow into prolonged downtime for your IT systems and big problems for your business. We’ve talked more about the different aspects of IT monitoring – such as server and network monitoring – in part 2 of our series on what IT support teams do.

Here at deeserve, our 24/7 IT monitoring service is included as standard in all our IT support contracts and it gives you the peace of mind that there’s someone looking out for your business at all times. And if you’re in any doubt as to the importance of adequate IT monitoring, just take a look at our recent post on the Microsoft Exchange Server and the ‘Y2K22’ bug…!

3. Update your patch management policy

This one’s related to Resolution 1 – strengthen your cybersecurity – although patches and updates are obviously about all sorts of other things as well (such as new features and bug fixes). Your IT systems could be left vulnerable without an up-to-date patch management policy, so take the time to review yours and check it’s still fit for purpose.

Patching is one of the things we do as part of our routine IT maintenance work, so if you want the reassurance that updates will always be implemented as soon as possible after they’re released, you can always enlist our help. Our routine patching work includes Microsoft’s ‘Patch Tuesday’ as well as other network device updates, plus all the testing that goes along with it to make sure there are no glitches with the updates installed.

4. Keep your staff in the loop

When everything’s going well, it’s all too easy to forget that cybersecurity threats are out there – or that the modus operandi of the individuals behind them is continually evolving. Big or small, no business is safe from these threats, and it’s important for your employees to be mindful of this. One way to keep them at the forefront of your employees’ minds is to send out a regular email detailing the latest cyberattack methods being used and signs to look out for, so that everyone’s always aware and on the alert.

5. Check your disaster recovery plans are up-to-date

With adequate IT monitoring and strong cybersecurity measures in place, the chances of something disastrous happening are certainly reduced. But no business is immune from the possibility of something big and unexpected befalling it, so it’s important to have a plan in place for dealing with the situation should the worst happen.

‘Disaster’ can, of course, take many different forms, and what constitutes a disaster for one business may not for another. That’s why it’s important to have a disaster recovery plan in place for your specific business – not just a one-size-fits-all template. This January, take the time to check your disaster recovery plan covers every scenario your business may need to recover from, and that it’s up-to-date, fit for purpose and meets your Response Time Objectives. It’s worth scheduling a review of it at regular intervals, too, and also diarising time to check backups on a frequent basis. Read more about our work in IT disaster recovery.

6. Create an IT budget

If you don’t have much of an idea how much your business is spending on IT each year, you’re not alone. IT spend covers so many different costs and a confusing array of payment plans, ranging from one-off payments for hardware to monthly or quarterly software subscriptions. That means it can be hard to keep tabs on how much you’re spending. Make 2022 the year you finally get a handle on it by creating a detailed IT budget, and you might be surprised how much money you can save your business along the way.

If you’re not sure where to start, check out our post from last year where we talked you through how to create an IT budget. Don’t worry – it’s simple! A great place to start is to conduct an IT audit, or get a free IT audit from us. This will give you an overview of your current IT assets and systems and where improvements and savings can be made. It’s also a good opportunity to make sure your IT provision aligns with your goals for the year ahead.

7. Update your hardware

It’s amazing how quickly the years whizz past – we think this every New Year. But while four or five years ago might seem a disconcertingly long time ago for us, it’s practically a lifetime ago for the IT equipment being used around your office. You don’t need us to tell you that technology is evolving all the time, and the older your machines get, the more they’ll be costing you in support and maintenance overheads, loss of performance and lower security.

Following on from your IT audit, make it your New Year’s Resolution to replace any ageing equipment you’ve identified and you’ll soon notice the improvements in performance and functionality. Lower maintenance and support bills are an added bonus, while you’ll also be contributing to Resolution 1 by strengthening your cyber security. It’s a win-win!

8. Consider moving to a Private Cloud solution

Could your business benefit from a Private Cloud solution? The answer is undoubtedly yes. If it’s something you’ve not yet explored, make it a resolution for 2022 to look into it. As we discussed in our post on reasons why you should consider a Private Cloud solution, a Private Cloud can guarantee great performance, as well as levelling up your security (another win for Resolution 1!).

Private Cloud solutions are also a great way to build up the resilience of your business, as well as helping you scale up easily and manage costs (great for the IT budget you created for Resolution 6!). Still not convinced? Take a look at our post on why businesses need Private Cloud to find out more.

9. Review your IT support provision

While you’ve got your mind on IT auditing and budgeting, why not make 2022 the year you review your IT support provision? If your business has grown in the last few years, it might be that the IT support provision you had in place before isn’t quite covering what you need. For example, if you previously had working day support and that was enough for your needs, it might be that you could really do with 24/7 IT support now that your business is bigger.

If you’re not too sure what you need, you can look out for a few telltale signs that your business needs better IT support in place. If your systems keep going down, IT stuff seems to be taking up an inordinate amount of your time and money and you’re thinking about hiring a(nother) full-time IT bod, it sounds like your business needs an IT support team like deeserve to fall back on…

10. Call deeserve!

…and on that note, the last of our New Year’s IT Resolutions is a cheeky recommendation to give our friendly team a call! Whether you need to firm up your cyber security, get some peace of mind about your IT disaster recovery plans, move over to Private Cloud, conduct an IT audit or pretty much anything else IT-related, that’s exactly what we’re here to help you with.

In fact, we can help you with all your resolutions in one fell swoop, so sticking to your January IT goals is as easy as picking up the phone! Give us a call on 01509 80 85 86 or email us at [email protected] and let’s talk about your specific business needs. We’re confident we can make this a Happy New Year for your IT systems!

Posted on: 17th January 2022.