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The end-of-year IT review checklist for business managers

The end of the year means a few things for those of us working in the IT sector.  For one, people go on holidays.  That means less wear and tear on most networks, a drop in desktop support issues, fewer security challenges and less demands from the executive leadership for custom reports or the initiation of new IT projects.

It's the perfect time to step back from the daily grind of business to look at IT infrastructure with fresh eyes and consider how this most strategic asset can be optimised or deployed differently in the New Year.

Here's our end-of-year IT checklist for business managers and directors:

Reliability

Looking back over the year has your IT infrastructure been reliable?  You don't need detailed IT reports to tell you this, just ask these questions.

• Has email been a problem?  
• Has the network gone down regularly?  
• Has internet access been slowing down your team's work?
• Have PCs or laptops been out of action for extending periods of time?
• Has the company VPN (remote access portal or connection) stopped working at inopportune times?
• Has it been a problem adding new users to your network?

Innovation

Good IT systems provide a competitive advantage if they evolve to support the business or enable new products or services to be delivered.  Consider the answers to these questions.

• What innovations did we introduce to our business as a result of deploying new technology?
• Did we assess new technologies available in the market regularly this year?  
• Do I get regular plans or ideas from my IT team or suppliers to show how IT can improve business delivery?
• Are we using our IT systems to attract, retain or support staff who want or need to work remotely?
• Do we have a system or process for benchmarking our IT platforms against current and likely future competitors?

Security

 
Data is at the heart of every business.  Financial, customer, supplier, product, staff and regulatory information is stored across many different business areas, and in most cases it needs to be kept secure.

• Have we tested how secure our firewalls and other access points are in our business?  
• Do we have security policies in place as part of staff on-boarding, supplier and contractor engagement etc?  (Are they up to date?)
• Do we have a security strategy in place that identifies how and when data needs to be secured and who has access to it?
• Is there a process for disabling ex-employees from access to enterprise systems (you'd be surprised how many former employees can still dial in to their former company via the VPN connection)?
• Is there a breach detection process?
• Who has 'root' or 'superuser' access to your core systems (access to everything essentially)?  
• Do they need it?  The IT department is often given full access to files and directories because they control the IT infrastructure.  This is not appropriate.  Compartmentalise access and only one or two senior IT staff members should have access across the system - and issue temporary access to other staff on an as-needs basis.
• Is our IT department physically secure?  (Server rooms locked, server keyboards locked, monitors hidden from view or off when not being used, internet connections not accessible from outside the data centre.)
• Are remote PCs, laptops and mobile devices protected if they get lost, stolen or used by an unauthorised user?

Productivity

• Are our IT applications helping or hindering our business?
• Do our end users get the right IT support at the right time?
• Do we need to upgrade or redesign information flows in our business to make processes work better or faster?
• Do we train our users well enough on core applications?

Resilience

• Are our backup schedules good enough?
• Should we introduce or upgrade our disaster recovery plans?
• Do we test and monitor back-ups and data stored offsite?
• Do we need more redundancy in our servers?
• Should we consider some fail-over services like stand-by servers or secondary internet connections in case of primary failures?

Cost

• How much do we spend on IT staff, annual software licences and IT hardware?  Does the amount seem right compared to other operating costs in the business?
• Do we use external break-fix consultants?  Are they being over-used?
• Do we develop software internally or externally and do we get value for money?
• Do we have a budget for this for next year, or does IT run on a 'as needed' basis?
• Are there technologies or services that could amalgamate licences or IT processes to reduce running costs?
• Is it too costly to invest in new technology if we were to buy it outright?
• Have we modelled the difference that introducing various levels of managed IT services would make to our business in terms of quality, cost and strategic business support?
  
  If you'd like a more detailed view into these elements, you might find our white paper series of interest.
  
  White paper: Inside the tipping point - Knowing when, what and how to outsource your company's IT
  http://bit.ly/s6egpO
  
  White paper: Inside the tipping point - counting the cost of under-performing IT systems
  http://bit.ly/somVMY
  
  The business manager's guide to running successful software development projects
  http://bit.ly/uY5kFV