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SMB Checklist: The 5 IT Essentials

A 3-Minute IT Analysis for the non-IT Professional

The purpose of this checklist is to identify where your business stands in terms of its technology. Are you strong and fully functional? Is there a gap in one particular spot that needs attention? Are there many potential problems? DII Computers is here to help you and your business answer and respond to these questions, and this checklist is a great place to start.

The 5 Musts:

_____ Data Backup Solution

Your company needs to be following at least the 3:2:1 backup rule: 3 copies of data, 2 which are stored locally and 1 which is stored offsite. The cloud may often act as a tool that can help businesses achieve this rule. There does not exist a universal ‘correct answer’ for businesses to hit this 3:2:1 guideline. The best fit here can only be determined based on the unique factors that make up your company and its data.

____ Business Email and Spam Filter

This one may seem easy to check-off without thought, but the key here is determining whether your email system works in a way that enables the functions of your business. Is your email system secure? Reliable? Cost-efficient? Again, there are various options out there for business email systems, some cloud-based and some not. The right answer here depends on the nature of your business and its operations. Is your current system optimized for your business?

____ Network Firewall

Think of a firewall as your company’s gatekeeper to prevent harmful objects from entering your business’s network. If your business uses computers with an internet connection then a firewall is needed, regardless of whether your data or applications run in the cloud. However, there are varying degrees of firewall services that a business needs, some more exacting than others.

____ Business Antivirus

If your antivirus seems more prohibitive than functional, do not check off this line. Ask yourself: “Is our antivirus solution designed for consumer or business use?” If it seems to give you nothing but problems, it’s probably the former. Antivirus is needed on each company device to protect that specific device from malware, viruses, and ransomware. There are multiple formats for antivirus solutions, cloud-based or on premises, with again, the right answer for you depending on your business identity.

____ Ideal Wired/Wireless Internet

This one’s simple… only check this off if you are entirely happy with the way your internet functions. Anything else should is unacceptable. If your internet is slow or disruptive to your workday in any regard, then don’t add a check-mark here. In today's world, having a strong network at any price point is too readily obtainable to justify settling for poor internet performance. Internet connectivity solutions have varying degrees to them and finding the right one for your business can make a world of difference in your and your employees' work days.

We hope after going through this checklist that you have a better idea about the strengths and weaknesses of your business's IT resources. The DII Computers team is available to help your business further this examination. We will provide a no-cost IT Site Survey to help your business determine which lines can be checked off, and which lines can't. We will then present you with a plan of action in response to these results. Call 215-657-5055 to speak with a DII representative who can help.

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