How to Prevent IT Downtime For The Rest of Summer

As we enter the last few weeks of summer, it’s perfectly acceptable to sneak in a week or two of vacation before autumn starts. While it’s the perfect time for some well-deserved time off, it can be open season for cybercriminals. With key staff members away and offices operating at a reduced capacity, your IT systems may be more vulnerable to cyber threats, downtime, and data loss. Protecting your environment doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does require proactive planning. In this article, let’s go through the essential steps business owners should take to safeguard their technology during time off.

Armouring your IT: Run the updates and patch all systems! 

You may only be away for a few days, but that’s plenty of time for cybercriminals to strike. Ensure all software, operating systems, and security systems are fully updated. Outdated systems are prime targets for attacks, and automated patches can prevent known vulnerabilities from being exploited while you’re away.

Remember to enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Enabling MFA is one of the simplest and most effective ways to secure remote access. Even if credentials are stolen or lost, having MFA in place can significantly reduce the chance of unauthorized logins. Ensure that your team members are mandated to use MFA to access business systems from both inside and outside the office.

Check the user permissions.

Temporary or outdated business login accounts can be weak spots within your IT environment. Ensure that you audit your user permissions to ensure that only active employees have access to sensitive data. It’s good to remove unnecessary access before you log off for the summer.

Automate the routine security tasks!

When staff are away, human sight is often reduced, and this makes having automated tasks an important safety net. Having processes like log monitoring, patch deployment and alert escalation automated will ensure no to little security event or update slips through the cracks.

Create an incident response playbook for the workspace.

Cybersecurity crises never happen at convenient times, so having a documented response plan will set up the team members for success when they happen. With the response playbook, they would know what to do in case there’s a breach, outage, or ransomware attack. The playbook must include clear communication steps, who to contact during escalations, and important recovery actions. Having this playbook easily accessible will reduce confusion and response time, in case leadership isn’t available to help. 

Have a backup point of contact.

In the event that your primary IT staff or MSP is away, you must designate and train a backup contact for your team. This person must be familiar with critical systems, vendor support channels, and escalation procedures. Even if they aren’t able to resolve all the issues, having someone on the ground who understands the basics can bridge the gap until the experts are available.

Monitor the risks of vendors and the supply chain network.

While your business and its IT environment may be prepared for cyberattack attempts, you must also consider the readiness of your vendors. Summer is unfortunately a common time for delayed updates or reduced support, so it’s imperative to reach out to your software providers, cloud hosts, and hardware suppliers to confirm summer service availabilities ahead of time. Staying proactive in this segment is a simple step that can prevent significant downtime caused by third-party issues.

So, what’s the bottom line?

Business professionals going on vacation shouldn’t heighten the worry of having vulnerabilities. By being proactive and planning with automation, clear response protocols, and more, your business can enjoy peace of mind for the rest of the summer. Cybercriminals may not go on vacations, but with the right safeguards and practices, neither do you. Whether your business is based in a big city or smaller areas, a proactive approach keeps your operations secure for everyone.

Need help protecting your IT this summer?

SysGen offers Managed Security services tailored for small to medium-sized businesses across Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, and the Okanagan. Cybersecurity is key to all businesses, no matter the size. Connect with our team today to keep your systems safe, your data protected, and your staff worry-free while you take a well-deserved break!