Everyone is OOO - but your IT shouldn't be

Summer Vacation and IT: Keeping Systems Cool When Everyone Else Is Away

As the summer season rolls in, offices empty out, calendars get lighter, and vacation autoresponders go up. But while teams are relaxing, IT never truly sleeps. In fact, summer can be one of the most important times to ensure stability, security, and smart planning across your systems.

Here’s how to make the most of summer from an IT perspective:

Before team members sign off:

• Make sure devices are backed up
• Update systems and software
• Set up out-of-office protocols for alerts or ticket handling
• Share key credentials securely (not in spreadsheets!)

Your infrastructure shouldn’t go on vacation just because people do.

Fewer hands on deck? Lean into automation:

• Set up automated alerts for downtime, CPU spikes, or unusual activity
• Use dashboards to visualize performance trends
• Consider AI-based monitoring to catch issues early

This helps your lean summer crew stay ahead of problems - without late-night surprises.

Summer often brings travel, remote logins, and relaxed routines. That means increased risk:

• Enforce MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication)
• Double-check VPN access
• Educate teams on safe behavior while working remotely or on public networks

Sometimes it’s not a bug - it’s someone logging in from a beach bar on an unsecured Wi-Fi.

Use quieter weeks to:

• Schedule major updates or migrations
• Run maintenance or server reboots
• Clean up old user accounts and unused resources

Summer can be the perfect window for the kinds of changes that are hard to pull off during peak season.

Vacations are a great reminder: IT isn’t just about putting out fires. It’s also about building systems that let people unplug without worry.

Ask yourself:

• Where are we too dependent on individuals?
• What processes need documenting?
• What could we simplify before fall gets busy?

So now, when you know what to do, do it, and then you can relax and enjoy your summer holidays!