Most business owners only look closely at IT after something has already gone wrong. A file will not open, a laptop will not start, or an invoice gets paid into a scammer's account. Fixing the problem at that point can cost more time and disruption than catching the warning signs early.
For businesses in Memphis and across the Mid-South, a short monthly review can help uncover common issues before they turn into bigger operational or security problems. Backups may quietly stop running, updates can sit unfinished, and accounts belonging to former employees can remain active. Thirty focused minutes can reveal a lot.
Why a Monthly IT Check Is Worth the Time
The original Technology Press article notes that Verizon's 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report found 31% of breaches started with attackers exploiting software that had not been patched, and that the median time to fully fix a known problem had risen to 43 days. The practical lesson is simple: known issues can remain exposed longer than businesses expect.
A monthly review does not replace professional monitoring. MCS managed IT services include proactive support and monitoring designed to identify issues that a quick manual review may miss.
The 30-Minute Monthly IT Check
1. Check Updates
Confirm that Windows updates are installing on company computers instead of sitting at “restart required” week after week. Check phones and the software your team relies on most, including browsers, accounting applications, and other business-critical tools. Repeatedly postponed updates deserve attention.
2. Review Backups
Open your backup system and review the most recent runs. You want to see recent successful backups, not a list of errors. Also check when someone last restored a file. A backup that has never been tested leaves an important question unanswered: can you actually recover when you need it?
3. Review Who Has Access
Look through user accounts in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and other important systems. Every active account should belong to someone who still needs access. Remove or disable accounts for former employees and finished contractors, and review shared logins such as “office” or “admin.”
4. Confirm Multi-Factor Authentication
Make sure multi-factor authentication (MFA) is enabled for everyone, with extra attention to administrators and employees who handle money or sensitive information. The original article cites Microsoft research showing that MFA blocks more than 99.2% of account compromise attacks.
MFA is one layer of a broader security program. Learn more about MCS cybersecurity services and how layered protection helps reduce business risk.
5. Review Connected Devices
Look at the devices connected to your business systems. If you see a laptop or phone you do not recognize, find out who owns it. Check that company laptops are encrypted and that phones with company email use a passcode, fingerprint, or other appropriate device lock.
6. Review Subscriptions and Licenses
Review what the business is paying for. It is common to find licenses that still belong to former employees, overlapping tools that do the same job, or software someone purchased without a formal review. Cleaning these up can reduce cost and improve visibility into the technology your business uses.
Make the Check a Routine
Put the review on the calendar for a fixed day each month and assign it to the same person. Keep a short record of what was checked and what was found. Over time, recurring problems become easier to spot. If the same issue appears month after month, it probably needs a permanent fix rather than another temporary cleanup.
Keep the review to about 30 minutes by recording problems instead of stopping to fix each one immediately. Once the check is complete, work through the findings in priority order.
Know What to Handle and What to Escalate
Some findings are simple administrative tasks, such as canceling an unused license or disabling an old account. Other issues should go to your IT provider, especially backups that keep failing, MFA that will not enable correctly, unknown devices, or updates that repeatedly fail on the same computer.
What This Monthly Check Does Not Replace
A monthly check is not continuous monitoring. A strong IT provider uses tools that watch systems throughout the day and can flag issues that a monthly review may never reveal. The monthly check complements that monitoring by adding business context: you know who left the company, which subscriptions were approved, and which devices belong to whom.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should a small business check its IT?
Once a month is a practical schedule for this checklist. Backups may deserve more frequent review if losing even a day of work would seriously affect the business.
Who should do the monthly IT check?
A business owner, office manager, administrator, or another person who understands the organization can handle much of the list. Your IT provider can help with the technical items and show you where to find the information.
What if I do not know where to find these settings?
Ask your IT provider to walk you through the checklist once and document where each item lives. Many providers can also supply regular reporting for backups, monitoring, patching, and security.
Isn't this my IT provider's job?
Your IT provider handles monitoring, patching, technical support, and remediation. This review adds information only your business may know, such as who recently left or which software subscriptions were approved.
If I only have ten minutes, what should I check first?
Start with backups and updates. Confirm that recent backups are successful and that important devices and applications are receiving updates.
Does this still apply if our business runs in the cloud?
Yes. Cloud-based businesses still depend on secure user accounts, MFA, updated devices, working backups, and accurate access lists.
Take the Next Step
Want a broader look at your technology and cybersecurity posture? Take MCS’s free 17-Point Technology & Cybersecurity Assessment.
Article used with permission from The Technology Press.
