As the weather warms up, many of us turn our thoughts to holidays, barbecues and hopefully a bit of sunshine. But while summer can be a welcome break, it could also pose a number of different risks to your IT systems and day-to-day operations. Overheating hardware, reduced office cover, and increased remote working are all common at this time of year, and if you're not properly prepared, they can lead to real disruption.

At Edmondson’s, we help businesses stay ahead of seasonal IT risks with practical, cost-effective solutions. Here’s our guide to getting your tech ready for summer and keeping things running smoothly while the sun’s out.

Keep Your Hardware Cool and Functional

Heat is a common cause of hardware failure across the summer months; PCs, servers and networking equipment all generate a considerable amount of heat year-round, but when temperatures rise, the risk of overheating increases sharply. If a machine gets too hot, it can slow down, crash or, in extreme cases, suffer permanent damage.

To avoid this, it’s a good idea to make sure all your devices are well-ventilated and not pushed up against walls or stored in closed cupboards. Keep fans and air vents clear of dust and debris, and consider using air conditioning or dedicated cooling equipment, like water coolers, in server rooms and areas where you store large amounts of equipment.

It’s also a good idea to regularly check the temperature of your systems, using built-in monitoring tools or third-party software. That way, you can spot any signs of overheating early and deal with them before they become bigger problems.

Prepare for Staff Holidays with Handover Planning

Summer holidays are great for staff morale, but they can also lead to gaps in your IT cover if not properly managed. When key team members are away, you need to make sure their responsibilities are clearly documented and that someone else is trained and ready to step in if needed.

That might mean giving colleagues temporary access to shared drives, mailboxes or systems, setting up automatic email forwarding, or granting temporary admin rights in your IT platform. Just as important is ensuring that any passwords, contact details or instructions are safely stored and accessible to the right people whilst still kept safe and secure.

If your business relies on external IT support, now’s also a good time to check your service agreements. At Edmondson’s, we provide proactive support and cover during peak holiday periods, so even if your in-house team is off, you won’t be left without help if something goes wrong.

Stay Secure While Working Remotely

Summer often brings more flexible working patterns. Whether your team are working from home, from a holiday cottage, or logging in while travelling, it’s vital that your business stays secure and connected.

Start by making sure remote access tools like VPNs, Office 365, and Chrome Remote Desktop are fully set up and tested. Check that all staff have access to the files and systems they need, and that permissions are set correctly to avoid unauthorised access or accidental changes.

It’s also essential to keep security top of mind. Remote devices should always have up-to-date antivirus protection, strong passwords, and device encryption enabled. Two-factor authentication is another easy win that helps protect your systems even if a password is lost or stolen.

For staff using public Wi-Fi, we always recommend using a VPN to encrypt their connection. It’s a simple way to guard against eavesdropping and data theft when working outside the office.

Keep Backups in Place and Up to Date

With reduced staff numbers and more people working off-site, summer can be a risky time for data loss. A single mistake or system failure could go unnoticed for longer than usual if backups aren't being regularly monitored.

Make sure your backup systems are still running as expected and that alerts or notifications are being checked even while your main IT staff are away. Our ReadyNAS backup solutions include automatic cloud backups, multiple drive redundancy and real-time alerts to help protect against exactly this kind of issue.

It’s also worth testing a full restore from your backup system before the summer gets into full swing. That way, if the worst does happen, you’ll know your data can be recovered quickly and safely.

Think Ahead for Cyber Threats

Cyber criminals don’t take holidays. In fact, some actively target businesses during quiet periods, knowing there may be fewer staff around to spot suspicious activity.

Phishing emails, fake invoice scams and malware-laden attachments are all more common during the summer months, particularly when finance or admin teams are short-staffed. Make sure your team are reminded of basic cyber security measures before the holidays begin and encourage them to double-check anything that seems out of place.

Edmondson’s clients benefit from real-time antivirus, email filtering and cyber threat monitoring, giving you peace of mind that your systems are protected even when you’re not in the office.

Review Your IT Setup with a Free Health Check

If you haven’t reviewed your IT setup recently, summer is a great time to do it. Our Free IT Health Check covers everything from backup systems and software updates to network security and hardware performance. It’s a simple, no-obligation way to identify potential weak points before they become real issues.

We’ll give you a clear overview of where things stand, along with straightforward recommendations on how to strengthen your systems for the season ahead.

Let Edmondson’s Keep Things Running This Summer

At Edmondson’s, we provide expert IT support that helps your business stay efficient and secure all year round. Whether you need help setting up secure remote access, preparing for staff absences, or upgrading your backup systems, we’ve got you covered.

Get in touch today to find out how we can help you stay on top of your IT while you focus on making the most of the summer.