The Christmas break is a long one, for some people it’s almost two weeks. A lot can happen in that two weeks and it might not always be pleasant and festive.

We have put this together for you to help you shut down & keep your business safe, while you are away from the office.

Out of office replies

Not everybody might be as lucky as you are in having time off at Christmas, so don’t forget to set your out of office replies. This way your customers know how they can get hold of you over Christmas (if you want them to) and when you will be returning to the office. – Maybe you want to have emails all forwarded to a certain inbox. If you are unsure how to do this, our 'How to' video is below.

Backup Data

Just think how important all your data is. Imagine coming back into work early January to find you have nothing on your computers, there’s been a flood, a leak, a power surge, even a robbery! Where would you begin again?

You could use an external hard drive or DVD and ensure the disk is taken off site, either home and locked safely away or with a safe storage solution. However, these can become damaged, lost or even stolen. So, we would recommend an automated cloud backup. You don’t need to even think about it then, the cloud backup prevents data loss in the case of any physical harm to your machines. Recovery times are fast using the backup solution – if anything goes wrong cloud backup will recover your data in minutes.

However you do it, back up everything that is even slightly important to your business!

Anti-Virus

If you will be working remotely from your machines over the Christmas period ensure that your Anti-virus is up to date and running regular scans.

Power down

If you don’t need access to your system over the festive period, we suggest powering everything down – computers, printers, modems, routers – everything! This reduces the possibility of any power surges. Also, powering down your router (disconnecting your machines from the internet) removes the risk of malicious activity or access by hackers!

Hide Equipment

Remove any temptation for thieves. This might seem obvious but people do forget to do it with all the excitement and Christmas cheer being thrown around! Lock away portable devices, draw the curtains or blinds. Even better, take laptops, tablets, etc with you.

Returning to work

When returning to work, initially turn on all your peripheral equipment, (modems, routers, printers, networking equipment). Leave those for a couple of minutes then start up your server (if you have one).

Then all your other PC’s.

Make sure all programs are up to date, see if you need to do a Windows update and run your Anti-Virus program. These small checks will ensure you getting off to a flying start in the new year.

If you struggle with any of this then get in touch with the Full Circle team who will be happy to talk you through and advise what will work best for your business.

supportdesk@milesb50.sg-host.com – 01204 897824

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