January Is the Month We Finally Schedule the Stuff We’ve Been Avoiding
Doctor.
Dentist.
Maybe that weird noise the car’s been making since October.
Preventive care is boring.
But not nearly as boring as a preventable disaster.
So let’s ask the uncomfortable question:
When was the last time your business technology got a real checkup?
Not “we fixed the printer last week.”
An actual health exam.
Because “working” and “healthy” are two very different things.
The “I Feel Fine” Trap
Most people skip physicals because nothing hurts.
Businesses skip tech checkups for the exact same reason:
- “Everything’s running.”
- “We’re too busy.”
- “We’ll deal with it when there’s a problem.”
But the most dangerous problems don’t announce themselves.
High blood pressure doesn’t hurt, until it does.
A cavity can destroy a tooth while you chew comfortably.
Technology works the same way.
The things that take down small businesses are almost always:
- Known risks that went unchecked
- Aging systems that were “fine” until they weren’t
- Backups that existed but didn’t actually restore
- Access that was never cleaned up
- Compliance gaps no one thought to look for
A system can run every day and still be one bad morning away from disaster.
What a Real Tech Physical Actually Checks
A real technology assessment looks at your business the way a doctor looks at you: systematically, looking for problems you don’t know you have.
Vital Signs: Backup & Recovery
This is your heartbeat. If everything else fails, can you recover?
- Are backups actually completing — not just scheduled?
- When was the last successful test restore?
- If your server died at 9:00 AM Monday, when would you be operational again?
Most businesses discover broken backups during the emergency.
That’s like learning your airbags don’t work during the crash.
Heart Health: Hardware & Infrastructure
Technology doesn’t fail politely. It ages out, slows down, and then dies at the worst possible time.
- How old is your core equipment — servers, firewalls, workstations?
- Anything past manufacturer support?
- Are replacements planned, or are you waiting for failure?
Aging infrastructure is one of the biggest hidden causes of downtime.
It limps along… until it doesn’t.
Bloodwork: Access & Credentials
Who has access to what?
If your answer is “probably the right people” you’re overdue.
- Can you list everyone with access to your systems?
- Any former employees still active?
- Vendors who finished months ago but never got removed?
- Shared accounts where no one can see who did what?
Access creep isn’t malicious.
It’s just ignored,until it’s exploited.
Cancer Screening: Disaster Readiness
No one likes thinking about worst-case scenarios.
That’s exactly why you should.
- If ransomware hit tomorrow, what’s the plan?
- Is it written down?
- Has anyone tested it?
- How long could your business survive without systems?
If the plan is “we’ll figure it out,” that’s not a plan.
That’s a prayer.
Specialist Referrals: Compliance & Industry Risk
Depending on your industry, “healthy” has a legal definition.
- Healthcare? HIPAA violations can reach $50,000 per incident.
- Accept credit cards? PCI compliance isn’t optional.
- Client contracts with security requirements? Increasingly enforced.
Generic IT advice isn’t enough.
You need someone who understands how your industry actually gets audited, fined, or shut down.
Warning Signs You’re Overdue
If any of these sound familiar, it’s time:
- “I think our backups are working.”
- “Our server is old, but it still runs.”
- “We probably have ex-employees in the system.”
- “We have a disaster plan… somewhere.”
- “If [that one person] left, we’d be in trouble.”
- “We’d probably fail an audit, but no one’s asked yet.”
Yet is doing a lot of work there.
The Cost of Skipping the Checkup
A checkup costs hours.
A failure costs days… weeks… or the business.
The math is brutal:
- Data loss:Client records, financial history, project files- gone.
- Downtime:Lost productivity, missed deadlines, damaged relationships.
- Compliance fines:HIPAA, PCI, and state privacy penalties add up fast.
- Ransomware:Average recovery costs for small businesses are now well into six figures.
Prevention is cheap and boring.
Recovery is expensive and humiliating.
Why You Can’t Give Yourself a Tech Physical
You don’t check your own blood pressure and declare yourself healthy.
You see a professional who:
- Knows what healthylooks like for someone like you
- Has seen the warning signs before
- Catches problems you’ve normalized
Technology is no different.
A good Managed Security Service Provider doesn’t just fix things, they prevent disasters.
That’s fire prevention, not firefighting.
Schedule Your Annual Tech Physical
It’s January. You’re already scheduling preventive care.
Add this one.
Book an Annual Tech Physical
15 minutes.
We’ll assess your environment and give you a plain-English health report:
- What’s working
- What’s risky
- What needs attention beforeit becomes an emergency
No jargon.
No pressure.
Just clarity.
To see how we help businesses like yours solve problems using tech, give us a call at (303) 423-4500 or book your FREE Security Huddle instantly here: https://business.newpush.com
Because the best time to catch a problem is before it becomes an emergency.
And that time is now.
