Before you head off for a end of year well earnt holiday there are a number of things to consider. Technology is integral to our personal and professional lives, ensuring the security of your IT environment is crucial. This concern becomes even more significant when you’re planning a well-deserved holiday, as your absence may expose your systems to potential risks. In this blog post, we’ll discuss practical strategies and tips to help you protect your IT environment while you’re away, allowing you to enjoy your vacation with peace of mind.
Update and Patch Systems: Before heading off on your holiday, make sure all your software and systems are up to date with the latest security patches. Cyber attackers often target vulnerabilities in outdated systems, and keeping everything current significantly reduces the risk of exploitation.
Backup Your Data: Regular data backups are a fundamental part of any robust IT security strategy. Ensure that your data is regularly backed up to a secure, offsite location. In the unfortunate event of a cyber incident, having a recent backup ensures you can quickly recover essential information without significant data loss.
Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Strengthen your security measures by enabling multi-factor authentication wherever possible. MFA adds an extra layer of protection, requiring users to provide multiple forms of identification before accessing sensitive systems or data.
Utilise a Virtual Private Network (VPN): When accessing your IT environment remotely, especially from public Wi-Fi networks, use a VPN to encrypt your internet connection. This helps safeguard your data from potential eavesdroppers and enhances the overall security of your online activities.
Delegate IT Responsibilities: Designate a trustworthy individual within your organisation to handle IT matters in your absence. This could include monitoring security alerts, responding to incidents, and performing routine maintenance tasks. Having a designated IT point of contact ensures that any issues can be addressed promptly.
Set Up Security Alerts: Configure security alerts for your IT environment to receive notifications of any unusual activity. This proactive approach allows you to respond quickly to potential threats, even when you’re miles away from your workplace.
Educate Your Team: Ensure that your team is well-versed in basic cybersecurity practices. Provide training on recognising phishing attempts, using strong passwords, and adhering to security policies. An educated workforce is a critical line of defence against cyber threats.
Limit Access Permissions: Review and adjust user access permissions to the minimum necessary for employees to perform their duties. Restricting access reduces the likelihood of unauthorised individuals gaining entry to sensitive areas of your IT environment.
Secure Physical Devices: If you’re taking company devices with you on holiday, take precautions to secure them physically. Use strong passwords, enable device encryption, and avoid leaving devices unattended in public spaces.
Monitor Remote Access: Keep a close eye on remote access to your IT systems. If possible, set up intrusion detection systems to identify and respond to any suspicious activity. Regularly review access logs to ensure only authorised individuals are connecting to your network.
While we wish a safe a happy holiday period, protecting your IT environment should be a top priority. By taking proactive measures such as updating systems, implementing multi-factor authentication, and educating your team, you can significantly reduce the risk of cyber threats. Delegating responsibilities, setting up alerts, and monitoring remote access further contribute to a robust defence against potential security breaches. With these strategies in place, you can enjoy your vacation with the confidence that your IT environment is secure and resilient.
If you need to discuss any of these to give you peace of mind on your break talk to us.
SouthEast IT helped us with technical support on short notice for a really important project! They provided reassurance, fast communication and delivered our data back within days. Highly recommend!
Marcus Barlow
1680735947
I was put in charge of a project for the Family Law firm I work for, CFLS, to migrate our emails to Microsoft 365. I dealt with Darcy mostly and the other team at SouthEast IT. I was very impressed with the email migration, it went off pretty much with zero issues, and was quick and easy for us. Also they were always happy to help any of us with any issues that we had that other IT firms would have charged for. Also the quote was very competitive and Darcy and his team didn't want to put us on a contract where we paid monthly for IT services, like all the other companies I contacted about the email migration. Darcy and his team understood all of our business needs very intuitively, and were a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend SouthEast IT and we will certainly be using them for any IT issues in the future. Great job done!
Nick Sanders
1677818622
This place has to be the friendliest MSP around. Everyone is in a perpetual state of happiness, knowing that they have helped their customers to the best of their ability. Very knowledgeable and efficient service and support. I would highly recommend them.
Carmen Walker
1669332348
Fantastic and responsive service, would recommend to all. Jackson is always considerate, thoughtful and knowledgeable, especially in times of crisis.
Jackson Wood
1663054179
Excellent customer service for all IT needs. I've been blown away with the support given by SouthEastIT as I needed help with my laptop not booting properly. One call and I was able to take it to their office and have it fixed like new by the end of the day! Would highly recommend.
Scott Booth
1662429024
Recently had Rob come around to set up our new internet service.He was incredibly helpful and problem solved a few issues quickly without fuss.Great work from the South East IT Team
Triangle Waterquip
1607321679
When our emails crashed on a Friday it was pretty stressful considering we had just terminated a support plan with our previous IT companyI contacted the company who had been handling our IT through the day but no luck...When it got to 5:30pm I thought I would try someone locally and gave South East IT a call, what a great decision that turned out to be! Within 10 minutes of talking to Chris I knew this company was the company I wanted handling our IT Support.He was about to walk into a meeting and told me he would have someone call me asap, within 30 mins not only had they called me they had fixed the problem completely.Since then we have had them Migrate our email server to 365 and every single time I've emailed or called Craig for support no matter how big or small the query he has been fantastic. He always returns calls and emails in a timely, polite and professional manner and goes above and beyond to make sure the customer is happy.I would highly recommend this company
Dano Arbon
1596046809
Great place to have all your IT work done. I have been working with SouthEast IT sometime now. They are great to work with and are prompt at responding to my requests. They certainly know what they are doing when it comes to all things IT, including stuff like business emails, Cloud work, office 365, networking, file-sharing, and even MYOB services, etc... If you're in the Melbourne area and need these types of services for your business, then I'd give them a call. Thanks.
Google Rating
4.8
Based on 22 reviews
SouthEast IT
4.8
Chloe Juresko
1681450862
SouthEast IT helped us with technical support on short notice for a really important project! They provided reassurance, fast communication and delivered our data back within days. Highly recommend!
Marcus Barlow
1680735947
I was put in charge of a project for the Family Law firm I work for, CFLS, to migrate our emails to Microsoft 365. I dealt with Darcy mostly and the other team at SouthEast IT. I was very impressed with the email migration, it went off pretty much with zero issues, and was quick and easy for us. Also they were always happy to help any of us with any issues that we had that other IT firms would have charged for. Also the quote was very competitive and Darcy and his team didn't want to put us on a contract where we paid monthly for IT services, like all the other companies I contacted about the email migration. Darcy and his team understood all of our business needs very intuitively, and were a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend SouthEast IT and we will certainly be using them for any IT issues in the future. Great job done!
Nick Sanders
1677818622
This place has to be the friendliest MSP around. Everyone is in a perpetual state of happiness, knowing that they have helped their customers to the best of their ability. Very knowledgeable and efficient service and support. I would highly recommend them.
Carmen Walker
1669332348
Fantastic and responsive service, would recommend to all. Jackson is always considerate, thoughtful and knowledgeable, especially in times of crisis.
Jackson Wood
1663054179
Excellent customer service for all IT needs. I've been blown away with the support given by SouthEastIT as I needed help with my laptop not booting properly. One call and I was able to take it to their office and have it fixed like new by the end of the day! Would highly recommend.
Scott Booth
1662429024
Recently had Rob come around to set up our new internet service.He was incredibly helpful and problem solved a few issues quickly without fuss.Great work from the South East IT Team
Triangle Waterquip
1607321679
When our emails crashed on a Friday it was pretty stressful considering we had just terminated a support plan with our previous IT companyI contacted the company who had been handling our IT through the day but no luck...When it got to 5:30pm I thought I would try someone locally and gave South East IT a call, what a great decision that turned out to be! Within 10 minutes of talking to Chris I knew this company was the company I wanted handling our IT Support.He was about to walk into a meeting and told me he would have someone call me asap, within 30 mins not only had they called me they had fixed the problem completely.Since then we have had them Migrate our email server to 365 and every single time I've emailed or called Craig for support no matter how big or small the query he has been fantastic. He always returns calls and emails in a timely, polite and professional manner and goes above and beyond to make sure the customer is happy.I would highly recommend this company
Dano Arbon
1596046809
Great place to have all your IT work done. I have been working with SouthEast IT sometime now. They are great to work with and are prompt at responding to my requests. They certainly know what they are doing when it comes to all things IT, including stuff like business emails, Cloud work, office 365, networking, file-sharing, and even MYOB services, etc... If you're in the Melbourne area and need these types of services for your business, then I'd give them a call. Thanks.