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IT planning · Practical guide
A practical IT Health Check for small and growing businesses
A practical small-business IT Health Check covering devices, Microsoft 365, Wi-Fi, backups, security, suppliers and business continuity.
Technology in a small business usually grows one urgent decision at a time: a new laptop, another cloud subscription, a replacement router or a website supplier. Each choice may work on its own while the overall environment becomes difficult to understand and support. An IT Health Check creates one clear picture of that environment and turns it into a prioritised action list.
Start with ownership and an accurate inventory
List the people, devices, accounts, software subscriptions, domains, websites, internet services and suppliers the business depends on. Record who administers each service, who receives renewal notices and where recovery details are kept. This immediately exposes forgotten subscriptions, unclear responsibilities and services that rely on one person’s memory.
The inventory does not need to become a complex asset-management project. A maintained spreadsheet or secure documentation system is enough for many small teams, provided it has an owner and is reviewed when staff or suppliers change.
Review identity, email and access
Business email and cloud identities are often the keys to customer information, files and financial workflows. Confirm that every person has an individual account, multi-factor authentication is enabled, administrator access is limited and former staff no longer have access. Shared passwords and personal email accounts create avoidable uncertainty when roles change.
- Identify every Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and line-of-business administrator.
- Check multi-factor authentication and recovery methods for privileged accounts.
- Confirm a repeatable joiner, role-change and leaver process.
- Review mailbox forwarding rules and external file-sharing permissions.
Test the everyday technology employees rely on
Recurring Wi-Fi, printer, computer and remote-access problems are operational signals, not merely annoyances. Record how often they happen, who is affected and what work stops. A short pattern log often reveals a failing device, poor network coverage, inconsistent setup or an internet service that no longer fits the team.
Check whether computers still receive security updates, important software is licensed, endpoint protection is active and new devices follow a consistent setup standard. Standardisation reduces both risk and support time.
Verify backups by restoring something
A successful backup notification is not the same as a successful recovery. Choose representative files, cloud data and one critical system, then confirm that the business can restore them within a useful timeframe. Document who starts a recovery, which supplier must be contacted and what the business would do while systems are unavailable.
Turn findings into a 30–90 day plan
Separate the result into urgent exposure, quick operational wins and longer-term improvements. Urgent items might include an unprotected administrator account or an untested backup. Quick wins could include documenting suppliers or standardising laptop setup. Larger projects—such as replacing a weak network or consolidating business systems—can then be budgeted without obscuring immediate risk.
