Quietly Escalating IT Risks – Checklist for NZ Businesses

This checklist will help you identify potential IT risks that may be silently growing within your organisation. These are often missed until they cause serious disruptions or security incidents.

📌 1. Network Infrastructure

• Old or unsupported switches, routers, or firewalls in use
• Flat networks with no segmentation
• Default admin passwords or open ports

📌 2. User Behaviour

• No multi-factor authentication (MFA) enforced
• Infrequent password changes
• Users clicking on suspicious email links without consequence

📌 3. Endpoint & Device Management

• Laptops not encrypted
• No visibility over mobile devices (BYOD)
• Antivirus or EDR not installed or reporting correctly

📌 4. Compliance & Backup

• No regular testing of backups
• Lack of data classification and retention policies
• No incident response plan

✅ Next Steps

For each item you’ve ticked as a risk, define a mitigation step or reach out to a trusted IT advisor.