Ten questions for whoever runs your systems

Put them to your IT supplier, your IT person, or yourself. Ask for the answers in writing.

Under each question is what a good answer sounds like, so you can tell one when you hear it. The same ten are on one page to print or hand on.

The questions, and what a good answer sounds like

1
Who can read our mail and files today?
A good answer: a list of names, not “only authorised staff”.
2
Who holds the administrator password, and who gets in if that person is away?
A good answer: two names, and where the second one’s access is written down.
3
Whose name are the domain and the main accounts in?
A good answer: yours. If they are in the supplier’s name, ask for them to be moved.
4
When did you last restore our backup, and what came back?
A good answer: a date, what was restored, how long it took, and a page that says so.
5
Where are the copies, and is one in another building?
A good answer: at least one copy somewhere else, and one that cannot be changed from the main system.
6
Does signing in need a second step, for everyone, you included?
A good answer: yes, with a code or a key, and no exception for the administrator.
7
Which other companies does our data pass through?
A good answer: a short list, with what each one can see.
8
What happens at night or at the weekend, and how do I reach you?
A good answer: a number, and a time to answer that is written down.
9
If you stopped tomorrow, what would already be in my hands?
A good answer: the documentation, the passwords and a copy of the data, with you today and not on request.
10
How do we leave, what do we take, and how long does it take?
A good answer: a written path: what you receive, in which form, and by when.

Ten answers on paper tell you where you stand. If you would rather go through them with someone, an hour with me is free.