Five Tips for a Smooth Office Shutdown over Christmas

Well, 2018 has flown by! The countdown to Christmas is on (less than a month to go!) and 2019 will be here before we know it. After what has been another busy year, many businesses are preparing to shut their doors and take some much needed time off over the holiday period to spend with their friends and family – and why not? It is important to have some downtime and come back to the office feeling refreshed and ready to take on the New Year.

Imagine strolling back in to the office in 2019 feeling stress free until oh no… the server room has over heated? The computers won’t start? The internet is down? That is not how you want to start the New Year! As your IT specialists (and superheroes), we are here to save the day and provide you with some of our tips to a smooth office shutdown over the holiday season, so you can come back to the office ready to take on another year.

While the majority of your office equipment was most likely switched off over the break, your servers and other systems may still be running to keep everything up to date.

Here’s a few simple steps to take to help protect your office equipment this Christmas:

Back up your data

Regardless of how expensive or elaborate your computer set up is, the information on them is invaluable. Computers can be bought off the shelf and replaced easily, but the data on them is irreplaceable. For many small businesses, years of hard work and important customer information could be sitting on the hard drive.

It is extremely important that this data is backed up and saved somewhere safely. The most convenient and cost effective option these days is the use of external hard drives. However, this may not be enough for all the information and data you have racked up over the years. Speak to us about our cloud backup services to ensure you will remain stress free, not just over the holiday period, but all year around as we continuously back up your data behind the scenes.

All your important documentation, emails and contact lists should be backed up and stored in a secure location away from the computer, preferably offsite. If the unthinkable happens to your office while you are away, at least your data is safe.

Keep the server cool

It is important to turn off computers and other devices over the break to prevent overheating, however there is one thing that cannot be turned off; the server room air con. This is the hub of all information and the heartbeat of your company, but it can become very hot during an Australian Christmas.

Most offices tend to turn off the air conditioning while no one is in the office, which makes sense, but it is important not to forget about your server room. Isolate your air conditioning to a single room or make sure you keep the server room at a comfortable temperature to prevent it overheating. This could cause huge (and expensive) dramas when you return to the office.

Hide your equipment

Give thieves as little temptation as possible. Electronic office equipment often has a high resale value and is easily onsold. Lock away all portable equipment and keep the blinds closed to block visibility to your electronic equipment.

Install any software updates

Before surfing the web or opening your inbox, ensure that all updates are installed and up to date. Imagine this: you’re back in the office after a much-deserved break, only to discover while you were enjoying the holidays, computer hackers created thousands of new viruses that your computer is no longer protected against.

Christmas and New Year are times when business owners get to relax! Guarantee your peace of mind over the break and for your return in 2019, by backing up your valuable data and protecting your electronic devices.

Get the professionals in

Don’t want to have to worry about your IT at all over the Christmas break? activIT systems will be working throughout the holidays to ensure that your business’ IT is in tip top shape.

We can help you with any of the following and more while your team is out of the office and enjoying their time off:

• Review your server backups to make sure they’re working OK and a viable source to recover data from
• Review your server battery backup capacity and health, to make sure it is safe from the electrical storms that roll in on hot, humid days in summer
• Install all available updates, including:
  • Windows Updates and security fixes for your servers
  • Updates to your network hardware, like your modem, to make sure it’s not vulnerable to outside hackers
  • The latest versions of backup software, systems management software, and antivirus, to ensure your server is protected against the unexpected!
• A gazillion other tasks which are really important to IT professionals, but are quite boring for everyone else!
• Most importantly: We’ll ensure your IT systems are in their best shape possible for the start of 2019, so you can get back to work and get straight into operations.

Ready to get started? Contact us today to discuss your business’ needs for Christmas, New Years and beyond!