Start here: a practical IT path
Five manageable steps to understand your business technology, secure the essentials and plan your next purchase.
Know what you depend on
List devices, subscriptions, accounts and people responsible. Include internet, payment systems, printers and access control. Note what would stop trading if it failed.
Build an asset register →Protect your way in
Start with email, financial systems and administrator accounts. Add multi-factor authentication and test recovery without relying on one person’s phone.
Make an account action plan →Prove you can recover
Choose a small, useful sample and restore it somewhere safe. Record how long it takes and what is missing. A successful sync is not a recovery test.
Plan a recovery test →See the whole cost
Separate purchases from recurring bills. Include support, migration, replacement, GST cash and the time staff spend changing systems.
Build a budget →Buy against a written brief
Define the required outcome, the acceptance test and who owns the credentials and data. Ask competing suppliers to price the same scope.
Compare three quotes →You do not need to complete every project at once. Choose the largest operational risk you can reduce this month, give it an owner and review the result.