Series: January Reset for Oregon SMB IT — Part 3 of 4
Catch up on Part 2’s habit reset; next week, we look straight at the attacks coming in 2026 and how to stay off the target list.
Your Business Tech Is Overdue for an Annual IT Physical
Preventive care isn’t thrilling; actually, it is kinda boring. It also saves you from the avoidable.
The “I feel fine” trap
Systems can run daily while drifting toward failure. Common culprits:
- Known risks left open.
- Aging gear past support.
- Backups that exist but don’t restore.
- Access that nobody cleaned up.
- Compliance gaps that never got checked.
What a professional IT tech will physically check:
Vital signs: backup and recovery
- Are backups completing?
- Have you tested restores lately?
- If the server died Monday at 9 a.m., when would you be back?
Heart health: hardware and network
- Age and support status for servers, firewalls, switches, and workstations.
- Replacement schedule vs. “run it till it dies.”
Bloodwork: access and credentials
- Who has what? Any ex‑employees still around? Any shared accounts? Who has admin rights?
Cancer screening: disaster readiness
- Ransomware plan written down and tested?
- How long can you operate without systems?
Specialist referrals: industry requirements
HIPAA, PCI, client security clauses … know what “healthy” means for you.
EXAMPLE:
Alex’s fictional consulting team in Portland thought things were fine. During an IT Assessment, we found a backup job failing on one of two data shares, a firewall past support, and three stale vendor accounts. None had caused pain … yet. Two quick fixes and a scheduled firewall swap later, the team moved into tax season without a hiccup.
Want an outside set of eyes? Start with IT Assessments & Strategy Consulting https://www.10dtech.com/services/it-assessments-consulting . If upgrades are needed, we handle Network Infrastructure Design & Upgrades https://www.10dtech.com/services/network-infrastructure and Cloud Solutions & Migrations https://www.10dtech.com/services/cloud-solutions-migrations .
90‑day plan … if you do nothing, copy this and print it
Days 1–30: Baseline: inventory assets, patch status, backup health, admin list.
Days 31–60: Close high-risk items, replace end-of-life gear, and document recovery steps.
Days 61–90: Permission clean‑up, automate patching, test restores, publish a one‑page policy.
READY?: Need a checklist? Call (541) 243‑4103 or (971) 915‑9103, or book: https://www.10dtech.com/15min-assessment.
Regional connections:
Portland and Salem offices often run mixed-age hardware; Bend teams juggle remote staff on café Wi‑Fi; Vancouver firms face seasonal volume spikes. A short assessment tailors fixes to real‑world conditions here…not a generic template.
TAKE ACTION: Five business days is enough to get your health report and top fixes.
FAQs
1) What is an IT assessment?
A short engagement that reviews assets, patches, backups, permissions, and risks—ending with a prioritized roadmap.
2) Will it cause downtime?
No. Scans run quietly; any invasive tests are scheduled.
3) How long does it take?
Often 1–2 weeks for small teams, depending on scope and access.
4) What should we prepare?
Admin credentials, vendor list, a network map (if you have one), and a contact for each department.
5) What happens after?
You get a 90‑day plan with quick wins, costs, and timelines. Start here: IT Assessments & Strategy Consulting.
DON’T WAIT UNTIL AFTER IT FAILS YOU
Don’t wait for the outage. Book your Free IT Checkup—call (541) 243‑4103 or (971) 915‑9103, or pick a time: https://www.10dtech.com/15min-assessment.
