Get Ahead of Your Technology Spring-cleaning

It’s that time of year again; time to break out the brooms and clean the baseboards!

Every year, we designate spring as a time to clean up and rid our lives of any unwanted “baggage” that may have accumulated over the winter months. For most of us, this probably means scrubbing the floors or revisiting the clutter stored in the attic… Unfortunately, however, many people tend to forget to add a key component to their list…technology.

Why it’s important

Periodic maintenance of technology is critical to the performance of your systems—especially with cybersecurity issues dominating tech news. Security refreshes are a necessity for every level of business. However, it’s been argued that it’s even more important for small businesses to stay on top of their cybersecurity procedures. The reason being is that it’s often easier to hack into smaller businesses because there are less security measures in place, so even though the payout isn’t as healthy compared to hacking a larger business, hackers will still target your sensitive data and information.

What’s more, with new technology constantly invading the workspace, spring-cleaning becomes even more vital. It’s the perfect time to review your processes and look for possibilities to make improvements. For instance, examining alternate business applications or moving systems to the cloud could enhance reliability and even generate cost savings.

Where should I start?

When it comes to cleaning out technology, there are so many nooks and crannies that it can become overwhelming, which makes it difficult to get started. So, what do you do when you don’t know where to start?

The best solution is to establish a spring-cleaning system that targets key, technological components of your organization that need regular maintenance. By doing so, you’re able to hold yourself and your organization accountable for your technology. At MainSpring, we focus on four primary areas for cleanup:

1. Keep your systems up-to-date. In order to have everything running in optimal condition, be sure to update to the latest version of software and remove unnecessary applications. In addition, if you have data that’s no longer needed for day-to-day business activity, you should consider archiving it to reduce costs.
2. Secure your systems. Make sure that you’re using unique passwords, and change them often. Secure your physical network by restricting access and securing your wireless network. It’s also recommended to scan and test your security measures on a regular basis.
3. Organize your data. Every year, new technology is introduced that can help streamline processes, organize files and reduce cost. In addition, it’s also important to take time to delete and archive old emails and business files so that you can shrink your mailbox size and free up space on your hard drive.
4. Update your online presence. It’s always a good idea to scan through your website and social media channels to ensure that the information you’re presenting is still relevant and up to date.

Easy-to-use checklist

I know what you’re thinking…“There’s way too much to remember here”…and I agree. Spring-cleaning your technology is, by no means, a simple task. However, it doesn’t have to be a hard task. As long as you know what to look for (and what necessities you must check off your list), then you can have this done in no time.

To help speed up this process, we created a free, easy-to-use, downloadable checklist that covers the major components and applies to various organizations. No contingencies here—just download a copy and start cleaning out your technology today!