It’s a new year, and time to make some resolutions. For business leaders, now is the time to make resolutions around IT. There are good reasons to focus on IT in 2024. First, most businesses need efficient, effective, and secure IT systems and processes to compete in their market segment. Second, IT risk has never been higher, especially when it comes to cybersecurity.

Below are my top 5 IT resolutions for Business Leaders in 2024. Let me know what you think, if you have any other IT resolutions, and which one is your top resolution.

• Resolution #1 Become a Cybersecurity-Focused Business Leader – A lot has changed in the last few years – remote work, cloud migration, increase cyber threats & risk, and cyber insurance coverage has gone down while rates & deductibles have gone up. So educate yourself on the latest cyber threats, follow your internal cybersecurity processes, engage your IT team about cybersecurity, maintain cyber insurance, and make sure you meet cyber insurance required cybersecurity controls.
• Resolution #2 Conduct an IT/Cybersecurity Audit – You have your financials audited every year? Why not IT? An external IT audit can help you identify cybersecurity risks, identify opportunities for improvements in IT controls, and provide an IT baseline so you know where you stand.
• Resolution #3 Take an “Assume Breach” Mentality – Cybersecurity incidents continue to increase in frequency and sophistication, leading to higher risk for business owners. Conducting an annual risk assessment, updating your Incident Response Plan after conducting a tabletop exercise, and adding/updating your cyber insurance are the hallmarks of an “Assume Breach” mentality.
• Resolution #4 Engage with your IT Team – Whether you have in-house IT or Outsourced IT, as a business leader you should engage with them on a regular basis and hold them accountable to your IT requirements. At a minimum, they should provide an IT roadmap, annual IT budget, and regular IT reporting on topics such as Windows patching, End Point Protection, and IT Asset Inventory. On the flip side, you should provide IT with your annual and quarterly business goals, and business continuity requirements.

These resolutions are a great way to get the year started off on the right foot with your IT. Join the conversation and let us know what you think. If you’d like to have a complimentary discussion about getting Better IT Results, click HERE.