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December 3, 2009 -- December is here and what was a new year is about to become the old year. This is a good time to catch up on all those IT chores that you, or your IT staffer or consultant, swore you would keep up with all year. But, in the press of day-to-day responsibilities, it's easy to say "I can do this tomorrow." The problem is tomorrow never seems to come. So, here is my list of things you, if you run your own equipment, of your IT staff member or consultant should take care of before the year ends.
Bring Your Documentation Up-to-Date. It's easy to let this go when you're working, especially if you're not primarily working on IT stuff. Company's are not necessarily happy with having to pay for time spent documenting their systems. So, during the year, you write short, cryptic notes about changes you have made. However, having up-to-date documentation makes solving problems faster and saves money: It's tough, and time consuming, if you have to look through a raft of notes to find the specific configuration you set for something obscure. Also, good documentation is essential in the hypothetical "hit-by-a-bus" scenario. I got a new client simply because their old one didn't answer the phone -- and there was no documentation.
Check Your Hardware and Software Inventory. It's easy to take your equipment and software for granted. But, exactly when does the support contract on that old computer run out? And, when do you have to renew your software contracts for your anti-virus and backup software? Oops, did you forget?
Check the Status of All Your Hardware. When was the last time you, or your IT person, looked at the event logs on your workstations? Yes, we do that when there is a problem, but, except for servers, not routinely. This is a good time to look. UPS batteries usually last 3-5 years? Hold old are yours? When was the last time the disks on all your computers were defragmented? On your server?
Make Sure Your IT Policies and Procedures Are Up-to-Date and Tested. This is related to keeping documentation up-to-date, but it is a different task. When was the last time you actually restored some files from you backup? Do you take you backups to a off-site location every Monday morning? No? What would happen if you had a fire? Are your security patches up-to-date? What is the process for keeping them up-to-date? What procedures do you have to deal with IT issues and problems?
Clean Up. This is an easy one to overlook during the year so now is a good time to clean up your IT equipment. Dust accumulates in all your computers. I have seen computer fans that stopped working because of it and this can bring a computer down. Open up all your computers and blow out the dust. Check that everything else looks okay. Clean up in any server cabinets, where your cleaning staff usually do not intrude (I hope). Donate or recycle your old, currently unused equipment. Make sure you wipe the data off the hard drives of any computers you give away or recycle first.
When you've done these things, you can start the new year with confidence in your computer system.
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