By The KTech team · Published 3 November 2026
A checklist is a useful way to find the gaps in how your business uses computers, email and the internet before a problem finds them for you. For many firms in Kingsbridge and across the South Hams, IT has grown up in a patchwork: a router fitted years ago, a shared email login for the office, and a backup drive that nobody has looked at since it was plugged in.
This checklist is written for shops, offices, trades and holiday-let businesses in and around the town. Work through it one section at a time, tick off what you already do well, and note anything you are unsure about. Where a topic needs more detail, we have linked to a page that covers it further.
Backups you can rely on
A backup only counts if you can restore from it. Many local businesses have a copy of their files somewhere, yet nobody has ever tried to get a single file back from it. Think about what you could not afford to lose: customer records, invoices, job sheets and, for holiday-let owners, the booking calendar and guest messages.
Our guide to backup and data recovery explains the options in more depth.
- Keep at least three copies of important data, with one copy stored away from your premises.
- Make sure one copy sits off site or in a cloud service that you control.
- Test a restore every few months by bringing back one file or one booking record.
- Confirm that booking data, accounts files and supplier details are all included.
- Check that the backup job is still running, and that someone is alerted when it fails.
- Write down where the backup login details are kept and who can access them.
Microsoft 365 account security
If your email, calendar and shared files live in Microsoft 365, your accounts are the front door to the business. A single weak or shared password can expose customer conversations and invoices. Turn on multi-factor authentication, which asks for a second check when someone signs in, and apply it to every account rather than only the owner's.
Our Microsoft 365 help page sets out the settings we usually review first.
- Turn on multi-factor authentication for every user, including directors and part-time staff.
- Remove accounts for people who have left, and check that their phones and laptops no longer sync.
- Keep day-to-day work separate from admin accounts, and use the admin account only for admin tasks.
- Check mail forwarding rules for anything copying your email to an address you do not recognise.
- Review shared mailboxes and confirm who still has access to each one.
- Ask who can change payment details or bank information held on your accounts.
Broadband and WiFi that keep working
Rural broadband is often slower and less predictable than a town connection, and a single line is a single point of failure. A card machine, a booking system or a phone that relies on the internet can stop trading when the line drops. Planning for that now is far easier than working it out after the first lost sale.
Our guide to rural business broadband in the South Hams looks at backup connections in more detail. The phone line switch-off will also change how some older lines and alarms behave, so check which devices depend on the old phone line.
- Consider a backup connection, such as a 4G or 5G router, that can take over when the main line fails.
- List every device that must stay online, including card machines, door systems and staff phones.
- Place the router centrally and away from metal cabinets, so the signal reaches the rooms you use.
- Allow for thick stone or cob walls, and add an access point where the signal is weak.
- Keep guest WiFi on a separate network so visitors cannot reach your business devices.
- Check that alarm and lift lines will work after the digital switchover.
Cyber basics for everyday work
Most attacks on small businesses are ordinary: an email that appears to come from a supplier, a fake invoice with new bank details, or an out-of-date computer that nobody has updated. Preventing these does not need expensive equipment. It needs a steady routine and a habit of checking before acting.
Read about phishing emails aimed at Devon businesses and invoice fraud in the South Hams. For a wider view, see our cyber security pages.
- Install updates for Windows, macOS, browsers and your main software when they arrive.
- Check whether any computer still runs Windows 10, which no longer receives standard support, and plan what happens to it. Our post on Windows 10 end of support sets out the options.
- Confirm any change to supplier bank details by phoning a number you already hold, not one in the email.
- Treat unexpected attachments and links with caution, even when the sender looks familiar.
- Make sure the built-in security tools on every computer are switched on and working.
- Report suspicious messages to the team straight away so that others can be warned.
Devices, passwords and people
Technology choices are only half the picture. A business is also a list of devices and a list of people who use them. Knowing what you own and who can reach it makes everything else easier, from welcoming a seasonal worker to clearing a laptop when someone moves on.
Use a password manager so that staff do not reuse passwords or write them on sticky notes. Agree one routine for new starters and leavers, and write it down so it survives the holidays.
- Keep a written list of every laptop, tablet, phone, router and printer, with its purpose and its user.
- Use a password manager, and give each person access only to the systems they need.
- Set a routine for new starters that covers accounts, devices and basic training.
- Set a routine for leavers that covers account removal, device return and changing shared passwords.
- Record where licences, serial numbers and supplier contacts are kept.
- Review the list every six months, and again after any change in staff.
Using AI without sending customer data away
Many owners are curious about AI tools that can draft emails, summarise notes or answer enquiries. For a local business the real question is where the information goes. If you handle customer records, household details or confidential quotes, think carefully before pasting them into a cloud service.
If you want the benefits of AI but prefer your data to stay on site, look at local AI for business. Local setups run on hardware you own and may keep working when the broadband drops. Whichever route you take, read the terms and decide what information is appropriate to share.
- Decide which information must never be entered into a public AI tool.
- Check where any AI service stores its data, and whether it uses your inputs to train its models.
- Ask whether an on-site option would meet your needs for drafting, notes or searching documents.
- Keep a short written policy so that staff know what is allowed.
- Review AI use whenever you add a new tool or a new type of customer data.
When to get help
A checklist shows you what to look at, but it does not replace hands-on support. If you are not sure whether a backup is working, if a router keeps dropping out, or if someone has clicked a link they should not have, it is time to get advice rather than experiment on a live system.
We are based at Springfield Farm Shop in East Charleton, near Kingsbridge, and we support businesses and homes across the area. You can find out more about IT support in Kingsbridge, or look at our business IT support plans if you would like regular checks built in.
- Ask for help if a backup restore has never been tested.
- Get advice if any account shows a sign-in that you do not recognise.
- Involve support before a router, server or main computer is replaced.
- Speak to someone before any broadband or phone change if card machines or alarms depend on the line.
- Keep a list of who to contact, and your current supplier details, where everyone can find them.