Spring-Cleaning IT: How Alex Keeps a Non-Profit Running Smoothly
As the leader of a 42-person non-profit dedicated to helping veterans secure housing and medical care, Alex wears a lot of hats. Between managing staff, overseeing donations, and ensuring veterans receive the support they need, IT maintenance isn’t always at the top of his to-do list.
But, a small IT issue snowballed into a major disruption last year, delaying critical funding applications and frustrating the team. Alex vowed never to let it happen again.
So, this spring, Alex decided to "spring-clean" the organization’s IT systems, clearing out inefficiencies, securing data, and ensuring technology worked for them, not against them.
Let’s begin this four-part series in March with the five steps Alex took to refresh the IT infrastructure and discuss how you can do the same for your business or non-profit.
1. Conducting a Comprehensive IT Audit
Alex started by taking stock of the entire IT environment: hardware, software, and security policies. With the help of the IT provider, they identified:
✔ Outdated computers nearing the end of their life cycle. Some were slowing down, causing frustration among staff.
✔ Unused software licenses that were draining funds unnecessarily.
✔ Redundant tools that were creating workflow bottlenecks.
💡 Pro Tip: If you’re running Windows 10, be aware that support ends in October 2025. Now is the time to plan for an upgrade before security vulnerabilities become an issue.
Alex’s audit helped him prioritize upgrades, investing in what truly mattered instead of throwing money at short-term fixes.
2. Cleaning Up User Accounts & Access Permissions
One of the biggest security risks Alex’s organization faced was inactive user accounts from former employees. If left unchecked, these accounts could be exploited by cybercriminals.
Alex’s Managed IT team:
🔹 Removed inactive accounts that posed security risks.
🔹 Verified staff permissions, ensuring employees only had access to what they needed.
🔹 Documented all changes for transparency and future reference.
A well-maintained user directory isn’t just about organization, it’s a critical layer of cybersecurity.
3. Optimizing for Hybrid & Remote Work
Like many organizations, Alex’s team had embraced remote and hybrid work. But some systems weren’t keeping up.
Here’s what they did to improve:
🔹 Upgraded their VPN to ensure secure, seamless remote access.
🔹 Reviewed bandwidth usage to eliminate slow connections.
🔹 Enabled encrypted file-sharing to protect sensitive veteran data.
Alex also took a hard look at third-party vendors. Were they keeping up with security best practices? If a vendor got hacked, would the organization’s data be at risk? Taking time to assess these risks gave him peace of mind.
4. Testing Backups … Before It’s Too Late
Like most organizations, Alex’s non-profit backed up its data. But when was the last time they actually tested a full restore?
Alex worked with the IT team to:
✔ Perform a full restore test to ensure backups were reliable.
✔ Evaluate recovery speed to understand how quickly they could be up and running after a disaster.
Many businesses discover too late that their backups are incomplete or corrupted. Alex made sure the organization wouldn’t be one of them.
5. Updating the Cybersecurity Playbook
Cyberthreats evolve constantly. Alex realized that some of their security practices were outdated, so the team made key updates:
🔹 Reviewed endpoint security to protect every device, including personal devices used by remote staff.
🔹 Updated the incident response plan to include new threats and faster response procedures.
🔹 Implemented AI-driven monitoring to detect threats in real time.
Did you know? It’s no longer recommended to change passwords frequently. Instead, use a long, complex passphrase and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for maximum security.
Spring-Cleaning IT = Year-Round Efficiency
By taking these steps, Alex didn’t just “clean up” the IT systems, they future-proofed the non-profit organization.
✔ Increased efficiency – Less downtime, fewer tech headaches.
✔ Stronger security – Reduced risk of cyberattacks and data breaches.
✔ Cost savings – Eliminated wasteful spending on unnecessary software and outdated hardware.
And the best part? The team could now focus 100% on their mission, helping veterans, without tech distractions.
Want to take the same approach? Start with a FREE Network Assessment https://www.10dtech.com/free-network-assessment/ to identify vulnerabilities and optimizations tailored to your business.
👉 Click here to schedule your FREE Network Assessment today!
Next Up in the Series: Cybercriminals Love Tax Season – Here’s How to Protect Your Organization
Stay tuned for Part 2 of the series next week, where we’ll follow Alex navigating cybersecurity threats during tax season.
Spoiler alert: Cybercriminals are always looking for easy targets!
