Most small businesses in Cyprus don’t need a full-time IT person. They need the right things done consistently. This checklist is what we set up for every client, and you can audit your own business against it in ten minutes.
The 10-point small business IT & security checklist
- Backups that someone has actually tested. The 3-2-1 rule: three copies, two media, one off-site/cloud. A backup you’ve never restored is a hope, not a backup.
- Two-factor authentication on email and banking. Business email compromise is the most expensive attack on SMEs everywhere, Cyprus included.
- Company password manager. Shared spreadsheets of passwords are how ex-employees keep access.
- Automatic updates on every computer, server and router. Most breaches exploit patches released months earlier.
- Endpoint protection on every device, centrally visible, not “whatever antivirus came with the laptop”.
- Email filtering & staff phishing awareness, 15 minutes of training twice a year measurably cuts click rates.
- Offboarding routine: a leaver’s accounts disabled the same day, documented.
- Wi-Fi separation: guest network for visitors and personal phones; business devices on their own network.
- A written “what if” plan: who to call when email is down, ransomware hits, or a laptop is stolen, one page, printed.
- GDPR basics: know what personal data you hold, where it lives, and who can access it. It applies to every Cyprus business, not just the big ones.
What does managed IT support cost?
Per-user monthly pricing has replaced “call us when it breaks”. The break-fix model looks cheaper until downtime, data loss and emergency call-outs land in the same quarter. Managed support flattens that risk into a predictable fee, keeps the checklist above continuously true, and typically pays for itself the first time a disaster doesn’t happen. Ask any provider: response times in writing, what’s included vs billable, and who owns your data and passwords (answer: you).
Signs your business has outgrown DIY IT
- Anyone still shares one email inbox password.
- “The server” is a PC under a desk that nobody dares restart.
- Backups are a USB drive taken home sometimes.
- You’ve had a near-miss with an invoice-fraud email.
- Staff wait days for basic fixes.
FAQ
We’re only 4 people: is this overkill?
Items 1–4 cost almost nothing and prevent the majority of small-business disasters. Size doesn’t exempt you; attackers automate, they don’t discriminate.
Cloud or on-premise?
For most Cyprus SMEs, cloud-first (Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace) wins on cost, backup and remote work, with the right security configuration, which is where most setups fall short.
How fast should IT support respond?
Get it in writing: within the hour for business-down issues is a reasonable modern standard. (It’s ours.)
Want the checklist done for you? We offer a free IT audit for Cyprus businesses, get in touch.
