When summer rolls around, everyone’s thinking about PTO calendars, long weekends, and maybe even cutting out a little early on Fridays. But if your IT systems aren’t just as ready for the season as your people are, you could be setting yourself up for a meltdown—literally and figuratively.
IT tends to get overlooked when things slow down. But that’s exactly when trouble brews. Here’s how to prep your environment now, so you’re not scrambling in July.
1. Get Ahead of Patching and Firmware Updates
Summertime is open season for cyber threats. Attackers know that internal teams are stretched thin and response times slow down. That’s why now is the time to make sure every system—from your servers and switches to workstations and printers—is up to date.
If there are machines you can’t patch due to compatibility issues or legacy software, that’s fine. Just flag them, monitor them closely, and build in extra safeguards. An unpatched system that’s documented and monitored is far better than one that flies under the radar.
2. Don’t Wait Until July to Replace Aging Equipment
Heat, humidity, and heavier travel schedules put added stress on hardware. If any employee devices are already on their last legs, they won’t survive the season. And if you wait until the middle of July to order replacements, you’ll hit a wall of backorders and vacation-related shipping delays.
The solution is simple: take a quick inventory of what’s due for replacement. Prioritize mobile workers and execs first, then order early and schedule upgrades now, while everyone’s still around.
3. Make Sure You Can Recover—Fast
Every business says they have backups. Fewer have actually tested them. Before the season kicks into full swing, have your team run a real-world recovery drill. Restore a few critical files. Spin up a test server from a backup image. Time how long it takes.
This isn’t just a technical exercise—it’s a confidence boost. Knowing your team can recover quickly in a real emergency (especially when your IT lead is out on vacation) gives you one less thing to stress about.
4. Run a Fire Drill for Your Incident Response Plan
It’s one thing to have an incident response policy. It’s another to test it when your top engineer is in a different time zone. That’s why tabletop exercises are so valuable. Simulate a ransomware attack. Pretend your CEO’s email was hacked. Walk through the actual steps your team would take.
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s about identifying gaps in the process and making sure people know who to call, what to do, and where the documentation lives when something real happens.
5. Prep for PTO Coverage Like a Pro
Everyone deserves a break. But that doesn’t mean support can stop. Before peak vacation season hits, make sure there’s a clear coverage plan in place. That might mean cross-training someone internally or leaning on your MSP for extra support.
Either way, ensure that whoever’s stepping in has access to the right documentation, knows which systems are most critical, and has a go-to contact in case something escalates.
Your Next Step: A 5-Minute Readiness Check
To help you stay organized, we’ve put all this into a simple, one-page guide you can share with your team.
Want more summer and less hassle? Call us today at (262) 524-9290 for a free Summer Readiness Review with Centurion. We’ll walk through your environment, flag the big risks, and help you head into summer with confidence.
