For many, the holiday break is a chance to take stock and get some projects squared away before the new year gets into full swing. Looking to improve productivity through IT? Want to ensure your computers and network are in tip-top shape and appropriately protected? Here are some ideas to prepare for now:
Set up an intranet.
An intranet or internal-facing website is a great way to efficiently manage your company information. There are a wide range of server-based or online tools to help. Office 365, for example, includes a SharePoint site that can easily be modified to suit your business needs. Have the information you need at your fingertips.
Implement an offsite backup.
Resolve to, double pinkie shake, get your critical company data backed up automatically offsite every day. Even better would be a cloud-based image backup. Whether through fire, natural disaster, media failure or just human error, you risk losing all of your company data. Rest easy by knowing that your critical data is safely backed up offsite.
Clean up your server rack.
Is your server and network rack a crazy spaghetti mess with network cables going every which way to the point where you can’t find the connections you need? If so, then it’s a great time to strip everything down and cable it up neatly. In the event a problem occurs in the future, it’ll be oh so easy to identify what’s what.
Check your capacity.
Adding storage or computing power over the quiet time will ensure you can work full steam ahead when things get busy later in the year. Of course, if you have already moved to the cloud, this is probably not an issue as it will expand to meet your needs.Clean up your Inbox.
It is a great time to create an annual email archive so you can find emails by date/time range. You’ll have the emails if you need them but they won’t clog up your inbox.
Implement a CRM System.
Are you still tracking your clients and suppliers in standalone Outlook address books or business cards? If so, consider setting up a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. A good CRM system can help your business with lead generation and nurturing, sales forecasting, and performance tracking.
Need help with one or more of these projects? Give IT Radix a call today, and we’ll share some more tips from our toolbox to help you work towards planning and building a better (and quieter) start to the new year!
First published in our December 2015 IT Radix Resource newsletter
