With a resounding glove-snap, the Doctor is IN. Now, what can it possibly mean to the safety and security of your organization to earn a clean IT bill of health? Specifically, that:
- Nobody has access to files, folders, and data that shouldn’t.
- Devices that you’ve decommissioned can no longer access your network.
- No new devices are currently connected to the network that you don’t know about.
- Everyone is using strong passwords to protect network access.
- Permissions for active users are in alignment with your security policies.
- You don’t have ports open to the internet for potential external penetration.
- Etc., etc., etc.
An ounce of prevention…
I know that running a full-blown network audit can be disruptive, very time consuming, intrusive and costs a lot of money. But you can catch 90% of all issues, and 100% of the most common ones, by asking us to run a network scan. Ten to 30 minutes is all it takes for most networks under 100 employees. There are no agents to install, and you don’t need to disrupt the business and anyone from doing what they’re doing. We run our scan software on your domain controller (usually your main server) and the bulk of the data is gathered automatically. We then use our networking experience to advise you what you’re missing in terms of proper network security and administration. For a nominal fee, we can also perform quarterly network assessments for you as an insurance policy against new hidden security holes and to uncover any new undocumented discrepancies between network configurations and company policies.
Procrastination is never on your side.
So, exactly how long has it been since you’ve seen your “IT doctor” for a regular check-up? Have you considered it recently, or have life and circumstances taken over and pushed your network’s health on the backburner? For most small businesses with simple networks, an annual network assessment might be enough. But it is wise to consider a quarterly check-up to see if anything new shows up. If everything shows up clean, try the next one in 6 months. If you still get a clean bill of health with no new uncovered issues, then it’s probably safe to wait a full year until your next IT health check.
Admittedly, getting a finger on the pulse of the vitality and vulnerabilities of your network might not be the most glamorous item on your to-do list. But do let the snap of latex remind you that checking that task off the list is an important step in the right direction of total IT wellness.
What do you think of the concept of having an outside “IT Doctor” to do an independent “check up” on your network’s health?