The 10 Most Common IT Scan Mistakes at SMEs
Which IT problems do we encounter most often at SME businesses? From missed backups to weak passwords - discover the top 10 and how to prevent them.
At Barion, we regularly perform IT scans at SME businesses. The pattern is remarkably consistent: the same mistakes keep coming back. In this article, we share the top 10 IT scan mistakes we encounter at SME businesses - and how to prevent them.
Why an IT scan?
For context: an IT scan is a thorough examination of your IT environment. We look at security, performance, compliance and future-proofing.
The top 10 mistakes
1. No working backup (or never tested)
2. No MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication)
99.9%
of attacks
blocked by MFA
80%
of hacks
via passwords
€0
extra cost
built into M365
Read more: Why MFA is crucial
3. Outdated software and systems
4. No endpoint protection (or outdated)
5. Weak passwords
6. No network segmentation
Read more about professional network management.
7. No documentation
8. Local admin rights for everyone
| What we find | What it should be |
|---|---|
| All users are local administrator | Standard users without admin rights |
| 'Otherwise they can't install software' | Software installation via IT management |
| No distinction users/administrators | Least privilege principle |
9. No monitoring
10. No plan for incidents
Create incident response plan
What to do with what type of incident
Make contact list
Who to call for what - internal and external
Practise periodically
Tabletop exercise to test the plan
Business continuity
How to continue with critical processes
Do you recognise this?
If you’re thinking “we have that too” for multiple points - you’re not alone. These are not exotic problems, but the reality at many SME businesses. With professional IT management, these problems are addressed structurally.
The first step
An IT scan gives you insight into where you stand. Not to scare you, but to set priorities. What should you tackle first? Where is the biggest risk?
Ronald Evers
IT specialist at Barion with over 20 years of experience in SME IT. Ronald writes about IT trends, cybersecurity and digital transformation.
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