· Staff & account access
A Clear Process for Patient-Portal Password Resets
Give front-desk staff a clear process for helping patients regain account access, checking requests and knowing when to ask a supervisor.
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Plain-language advice to help you protect your business, avoid interruptions and make better technology decisions.
· Staff & account access
Tax Firms: Close Seasonal Staff Access After the October Deadline
Review seasonal preparer access after the extension deadline, suspend accounts whose work has ended, and preserve records deliberately.
Read article· Backup & recovery
Give Every Medical or Dental Practice System a Recovery Owner
Assign a primary and backup person to coordinate recovery for each critical practice system, then test one recovery path today.
Read article· Security & privacy
Verify Bank-Detail Changes Outside the Email Thread
Use a known phone number and a second approval before changing where vendor, payroll, or client-bookkeeping payments are sent.
Read article· Security & privacy
Shared Practice Calendars Need a Detail Rule
Keep shared calendar titles useful without placing unnecessary patient details in broadly visible scheduling views.
Read article· Backup & recovery
Freeze Nonessential IT Changes Before the Filing Deadline
Pause nonessential technology changes through the October 15 filing deadline, while preserving a clear path for urgent fixes.
Read article· Email & shared files
Saved Fax Numbers Need an Owner
Verify saved fax destinations, assign an owner, and remove stale entries before a referral or record reaches the wrong office.
Read article· Staff & account access
Keep Everyday Work Separate From Computer Settings
Give staff the access they need for tax work, while reserving software installation and important computer settings for an authorized person.
Read article· Security & privacy
Set the Phone Rule Before Staff Take Practice Photos
Decide which phones and apps may capture practice photos, where files go, and how local copies are removed before staff improvise.
Read article· Email & shared files
Keep One Working Copy of Every Shared Workpaper
Use one managed working copy and test version history so shared tax workpapers do not fragment across desktops and email attachments.
Read article· Working with providers
Know Which Vendors Can Reach Practice Data
Build one current roster of vendors that can reach practice data, then use it to manage agreements, access, renewals, and clean exits.
Read article· Everyday work
Use One Intake Path for Prospective-Client Documents
Route prospective-client documents through one approved intake channel so staff do not have to judge unexpected attachments in a busy inbox.
Read article· Computers & office equipment
Include the Copier in Your Device Disposal Plan
Inventory copier storage and document how its data will be cleared before the machine is returned, replaced, or reused.
Read article· Security & privacy
Put a Review Date on Your Tax Firm’s Security Plan
Assign an owner, schedule the next review, and test one safeguard so the firm’s written security plan stays useful.
Read article· Computers & office equipment
Shared Computers Still Need Individual Sign-Ins
Give each employee their own sign-in on shared practice computers. Agree when to lock or sign out so the next person cannot use someone else’s access.
Read article· Everyday work
Write Down How Your Team Uses AI
Keep reusable AI instructions with your office procedures. Name someone to review them before your team shares, changes or relies on them.
Read article· Security & privacy
Check Who Receives Automatic Meeting Notes
Before a sensitive meeting, check whether Google Meet will take notes automatically and who will receive them. Make the decision before the call begins.
Read article· Computers & office equipment
Check Your Office Software Before Support Ends
Ask your IT provider which version of Microsoft Office your team uses and test essential accounting tasks before moving to a supported version.
Read article· Planning & costs
Check AI Usage Charges Before You Buy
Before buying Microsoft’s Copilot business assistant, ask what costs extra, who sets spending limits and how you will keep track of the bill.
Read article· Backup & recovery
Write the Workaround Before the Software Is Unavailable
Document and test a simple manual fallback for one critical business process so staff can keep working during a software or internet outage.
Read article· Everyday work
Put a Time Zone on Every External Commitment
Make the time zone explicit on customer meetings, vendor deadlines, and handoffs so a correct calendar setting does not hide an ambiguous commitment.
Read article· Using AI
AI Sources Still Need a Human Check
An AI draft may include source links, but someone still needs to read them and check the claims before your business uses or shares the result.
Read article· Staff & account access
Put an End Date on Temporary IT Access
When someone needs temporary access to change business settings, agree when it ends. Ask your provider to make that expiry automatic where available.
Read article· Staff & account access
Only Enter a Device Code You Requested
Only enter a device sign-in code when you started the sign-in yourself and can identify the device and application requesting access.
Read article· Email & shared files
Recalculate Before You Trust a Shared Spreadsheet
If a critical Google Sheet uses manual calculation, make recalculation and review an explicit step before anyone acts on its numbers.
Read article· Email & shared files
Give Staff Their Own Access to the Shared Inbox
Let staff use a shared business inbox through their own accounts, so you can change one person’s access without passing around a shared password.
Read article· Staff & account access
Build Access From the Job, Not the Last Employee
Create a role-based first-day access list instead of copying a predecessor’s accumulated permissions.
Read article· Planning & costs
What Would an Hour Without Your Systems Cost?
Estimate the cost of an interrupted workday before spending on spare equipment, a second internet connection or faster help getting back to work.
Read article· Email & shared files
Agree Who Can See Your Business Files
Decide which information stays internal, which can go to partners and which is public. Then ask your IT provider to put those rules into practice.
Read article· Computers & office equipment
Treat Apple Updates and Upgrades Differently
Keep supported Apple devices current, but test major operating-system upgrades on a small group before rolling them across the business.
Read article· Staff & account access
Check What a Connected App Can See
Before connecting an AI assistant to your business software, agree what it may read or change, who can use it and how you can remove its access.
Read article· Everyday work
A Draft Message Is Not a Follow-Up System
Use chat drafts for unfinished writing, but move every real commitment into a shared task, ticket, or calendar item with an owner and due date.
Read article· Planning & costs
Plan the Change Before Moving Business Email
Moving email involves more than copying messages. Agree on timing, test with your team and tell staff what to expect before switching services.
Read article· Everyday work
Keep a Person in the Last Step of Automation
Let automation prepare drafts, tasks, and meeting details, while a named employee reviews anything that communicates or commits the business.
Read article· Staff & account access
One Checklist for Staff Leaving the Business
Use one checklist to stop a departing employee’s access, keep needed work, redirect messages and collect company equipment without losing important details.
Read article· Email & shared files
More Mailbox Space Is Not a Records Plan
Microsoft’s larger business mailboxes create breathing room, but each important mailbox still needs an owner and a clear plan for records, access, and cleanup.
Read article· Using AI
Give Every Business AI Tool an Owner
Create a simple list of approved AI tools, their owners, and the business information employees may use with them.
Read article· Backup & recovery
Restore One File Before You Trust the Backup
Restore one important file today to confirm that your backup contains usable data and that someone knows how to recover it.
Read article· Everyday work
Test the Conference Room Before the Client Call
Google’s new cross-platform meeting preview is a good reason to test every conference room and document a simple backup before an important call.
Read article· Security & privacy
Know Who Looks After Your Remote Work Connection
If staff connect to work from elsewhere, know who looks after that connection. Ask your provider to check whether the SonicWall notice affects you.
Read article· Computers & office equipment
Ask Your Provider to Check Your Office Phones
A Cisco phone notice is a reason to ask your provider which models you use, whether they are affected and who will handle any needed update.
Read article· Computers & office equipment
Check Essential Apps Before Handing Over a New PC
A new computer is not ready until your everyday apps work. Update and test email, meetings and other essential tools before handing it to an employee.
Read article· Security & privacy
Use Software Warnings to Plan the Next Step
When a supplier gives advance notice of a security issue, confirm what your business uses, who supports it and how an update would be handled.
Read article· Computers & office equipment
Check a Security Warning Before Rebuilding a Computer
A security pop-up needs checking, but it may not tell the whole story. Ask your IT provider to confirm the computer’s protection before major changes.
Read article· Email & shared files
Check Automatic File Labels Before Relying on Them
If software labels your business files automatically, check a small sample first. Someone should review mistakes before labels control sharing or storage.
Read article· Security & privacy
A Website Check Should Never Ask You to Run a Command
Teach staff to stop if a website asks them to paste and run instructions on their computer. A convincing verification screen can still be a trick.
Read article· Backup & recovery
Keep Your Recovery Contact Sheet Outside the System
A recovery plan stored only in email or cloud files may be unavailable when it is needed most; keep a current, safe offline contact sheet.
Read article· Security & privacy
Know Which Business Systems Can Be Reached Online
Ask your IT provider for a short list of business systems reachable from the internet, why each is there and who is responsible for keeping it safe.
Read article· Email & shared files
A Chat Space Roster Can Be Sensitive Too
Review who can see the full member list in customer, vendor, and sensitive Google Chat spaces, then document the owner and purpose.
Read article· Security & privacy
A Calendar Invitation Is Still an Untrusted Message
Google’s new blocking option is a useful reminder to verify unexpected calendar invitations before trusting their links, files, or instructions.
Read article· Staff & account access
Give Connected Apps Only the Access They Need
When you connect a new app to a business account, check what it can read or change. Give it only the access needed for the task you want it to do.
Read article· Email & shared files
External Sharing Needs an Owner, Not Just a Setting
Google’s new Drive reporting fields reinforce a simple cloud-data practice: every external share should have a purpose, an owner, and a review date.
Read article· Websites
Decide How AI Services May Use Your Website
Decide whether AI services may find, read or learn from your public website. Ask your web provider to explain which settings express a preference or enforce a limit.
Read article· Security & privacy
Ask Whether These Microsoft Fixes Affect Your Business
Ask your IT provider whether the reported Microsoft security problems affect your business, what needs updating and how they will confirm it is done.
Read article· Computers & office equipment
Keep Track of Apple Devices Used for Work
Apple updates are a reminder to list the phones, tablets and computers that can open business information, including personal devices used for work.
Read article· From French Broad IT
Welcome to the French Broad IT Blog
A daily, plainspoken look at the small technology decisions that make local businesses steadier, safer, and easier to run.
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