Realty Check: Your “IT Guy” was actually your employee who best knew Microsoft Office. If that’s the case, are you surprised they quit? With that hard-to-swallow pill out of the way, let’s help you figure out what to do now.

Organizations rely on their IT people to keep the business secure and operational. When an employee quits it can be difficult to pick up where they left off. Especially if you don’t have the systems in place for an easy information transfer.

This doesn’t have to be a disaster. But, you do need appropriately react.

Infographic for "My IT Guy Quit. What Do I Do Now?"

Infographic detailing immediate action items necessary after an IT employee quits.

 

Immediate Next Steps After Your IT Guy Quit

The first thing you need to do is block their accounts and access. Even if the employee left on good terms – this is a critical step. If you leave their accounts and passwords active, you’re leaving your network at risk.

The accounts to block include email, cloud accounts, remote logins. You should also check access to third-party software and VPN/IP addresses they may have used. Disable any email forwarding and remove any call forwarding they have in place.

Your next step is to audit your documentation.

 

The Current State of IT Systems

Ideally, regardless of employee status, you should have your documentation processes in order. These processes ensure you maintain access to everything that keeps your business running.

Documentation includes a few key pieces of information. The IT employee should have kept a log of previous issues and the resolution. They should also have kept an inventory of hardware and software.

This list should also include software licenses, hardware warranties, and network diagrams. Encryption keys should also be available. Lastly, this list should include how and when to upgrades your systems.

Hopefully, you had an IT Guy with this information ready for handoff. If not, you know what to look for. Use this resignation as a trigger to get a sense of current state of your IT.

 

Finding the Holes in Your Ship

If the documentation list in the last section is over your head, it might be time to bring in the experts. You want to make sure that your IT systems are cost effective, secure, and scalable. This is the Due Diligence required of you as a business owner.

Guardian Computer provides a thorough, 3rd party Due Diligence assessment. Our full-scale IT appraisal examines everything your company has done and should do.

For future reference, Due Diligence is also required before a merger or acquisition. With Guardian as your guide, we give you the IT systems report required for success.

Learn more about our assessment services.