No sooner has the Thanksgiving turkey been digested than Black Friday begins, followed closely by Cyber Monday and the rest of the holiday season. Since all this activity is also occurring in the midst of a pandemic, IT systems may be under more strain than ever. Here are some holiday survival tips from your Austin IT support team.

Have your backup devices and systems up and ready. The last thing you want in the middle of the holiday rush is a sudden power failure or Internet outage that grinds your operations to a halt. If there was ever a time to add UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) units to your network, it’s now. If you only have a single broadband Internet channel, invest in a backup channel that can take over for a failed primary connection.

Implement your expansion plans a little early. Have you been planning to build out your IT system with new workstations, servers, and routers in the coming year? Go ahead and do it now. These additional components can give you more processing power, storage space, room for more on-site IT workers, and greater overall ability to handle the increase of digital communications and sales. You’re killing two birds with one stone by also future-proofing your technology for 2021 and beyond.

Double down on security. The more online and email traffic your organization deals with through the chaotic holiday season, the more easily it could fall pretty to malicious ransomware attacks and other security breaches. Review your password and permissions policies for any temp workers who might use your equipment. Make sure you have the latest anti-malware updates and strong, reliable firewall protection.

Gravity Systems wishes your organization a peaceful, trouble-free holiday season. Ask us to help you make any necessary improvements to your IT system or fix any problems that pop up!