While I’m sure some reading this will be working during the holiday period almost everyone will enjoy at least a few days off during the next week.
However I can’t be the only one who’ll be hoping the phone doesn’t ring once I’ve closed my laptop lid on 2021. If you’re familiar with this feeling here’s a few things you to check before finishing work for the year to reduce the chance of your holiday being interrupted:
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Procedures - Make sure all standard operating, disaster recovery, incident response (and any other) procedures are easily accessible and everyone who has a chance of needing them knows where they are.
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Backups - Ensure recent backups of every programmable system have been taken, and are stored in a location accessible to anyone who may need them.
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Escalation - Review your escalation procedure. Who really needs to know? Who can (and is in a position to) do something about it?
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Maintenance - If any work is taking place while you’re away, are those doing it have access to all the information and resources they need to handle any eventuality?
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Access - Do those who may be called on to resolve issues have access to the necessary resources (physical and electronic), people (contact details) and locations?
If you notice a gap, hopefully it won’t take too long to put a temporary measure in place. If you do, please remember to set a reminder to address the issue in the new year.
Enjoy the Christmas holidays!