Before your business can start the new year fresh, you need to look back on this year to see what you have learned and what you need to do to prepare for success in 2025. This is especially true with your IT, which needs consistent review and examination to make sure it is providing your company with the maximum benefits.
To help you collect actionable information about your IT assets, optimize your upcoming technology budget, and lay the groundwork for growth and success in the new year, you need to conduct a full year-end IT review. We’ve created a checklist for you to help you get started and make the process easier.
1. Audit your cybersecurity posture
Cybersecurity should always be at the top of your priority list because SMBs are a favorite target of cybercriminals, and one data breach can spell the end for your organization. To make sure your business is protected from existing and emerging threats, a full cybersecurity assessment is necessary at least once a year.
- Review and update your company cybersecurity policy.
- Conduct vulnerability scans and penetration tests.
- Check for and apply updates, patches, and upgrades to all cybersecurity tools.
- Hold a refresher course on employee security awareness.
2. Run a mock compliance audit
Examining your cybersecurity posture will help protect you against future attacks, but you also need to check if you are protected against future compliance penalties. Data security regulations such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, and others are updated all the time, and you have to keep up if you don’t want to deal with punishments for infractions.
Review all data security regulations your organization is beholden to in order to determine if any updates are needed. Then do a compliance check with the appropriate cybersecurity tools to ensure they still meet the required standards.
3. Inventory your IT assets
Having a complete picture of your technology assets will inform your decisions about your IT budget and capital expenditures. If you know about all the technology your organization is operating and which components will be obsolete soon, you can plan for replacements and upgrades better.
You can also zero in on underused assets that can be cut from the budget, such as software subscriptions, obsolete hardware that requires frequent maintenance, or cloud computing resources that need to be scaled down.
4. Test data backups and disaster recovery procedures
Your data backups and disaster recovery plan can mean the difference between life and death for your business. But like all components of your IT infrastructure, they must be maintained and tested for effectiveness.
Run a simulated disaster so that you can:
- Test your data recovery tools.
- Ensure your backups are operating as intended.
- Provide valuable practice for employees so they know what to do when the real thing happens.
- Update plans and protocols to account for developments in your IT infrastructure or personnel.
5. Set your IT budget
With the current year ending, now is the time to plan next year’s spending so that your IT can grow and evolve to meet your changing needs. Here are some IT budgeting tips:
- Establish clear company goals to inform spending priorities.
- Conduct a full inventory of IT assets to determine areas that require more funding or cuts (see above).
- Review the previous year’s budget to help predict overspending in the next year.
- Categorize your IT expenses to better allocate funds where they are needed.
- Avoid allocating all of your IT budget so that you can stay flexible and react to changes in your company’s goals or emergency expenditures.
6. Review your contract with your MSP and their performance
Partnering with a managed IT services provider, or MSP, is a cost-effective way to boost efficiency and maximize performance for your business. But if you are overpaying or your provider is underdelivering, your bottom line could suffer.
If you review the performance of your IT services provider and find them lacking for the price that you pay, consider partnering with SpectrumWise. We’ve been a trusted MSP in North and South Carolina for over 20 years and have stood the test of time, thanks to our reliable IT services and dedication to client success.
Contact SpectrumWise for a FREE IT assessment, and our expert consultants will help you gear up your technology for greater efficiency and success in 2025.
