Important IT Checklists: Part-2

IT Training Checklist
Your IT staff is not the only one who needs IT training; everyone in your office does. An IT training checklist serves as a good process document for any new staff or for any staff working on new hardware or software. Following the IT training checklist can help shorten the learning curve, and ensure that hardware and software is leveraged in the best possible way, thus making your staff more efficient. Here are some of what your IT training checklist might offer.

• Rules and regulations regarding software and hardware use
• Links to user manuals and instructional videos for the software and hardware in use
• Information about whom to contact if there’s a need for troubleshooting
• Training schedules for hardware, software and cyberthreats
• Information about whom to contact if there’s a perceived cybersecurity breach

Data Backup Checklist
There are a number of factors that can affect the accessibility and quality of your data. Data backups are key to ensuring your data is not lost. You should maintain a checklist or a policy document that covers this aspect. Your data backups checklist should cover:

• What are the different data sets that need to be backed up
• How often do each of those data sets need to be backed up
• Where (location/device) will the data backup occur
• How will the data backup happen
• Who will be responsible for the data backup

BYOD Policy Checklist
In the current business environment where companies allow their employees to use their own devices for work purposes, a BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Device) checklist is a must. This checklist should answer questions like the following:

• Who is allowed to bring their devices to work (employees of some departments that deal with sensitive data such as HR and financial accounts may not be allowed to do so)
• What kind of devices are approved? For example, you can specify a version below which a certain OS may not be allowed because it is no longer supported with security updates, thereby exposing your entire network to any security threat that it may be vulnerable to
• Who is responsible for ensuring the security patches and antimalware protection is up-to-date
• Who will be maintaining lists of active devices so that when an employee replaces a device or leaves the company, access to your data is removed from the device(s)

Having these checklists and policy documents does not ensure your IT infrastructure is always safe and secure, or never suffers downtime, but these checklists help decrease instances of security breaches or downtime and go a long way in helping you respond positively to any IT crisis that may befall your business. What we have discussed here is just the proverbial ‘tip of the iceberg’. Your checklists have to be comprehensive, in-depth and cover every angle with a clearly defined action plan for any IT contingency. Reaching out to an experienced MSP for assistance will ensure you leave no loose ends.