Why your own copy matters
Most IT documentation lives with whoever set the systems up, often your IT provider or a past contractor. That is fine while the relationship lasts, but if it ends suddenly, or the person who knows everything is unavailable at the worst moment, the business can find itself unable to answer basic questions about its own technology. Recovery slows down, and every decision becomes guesswork. Even a well-meaning provider cannot help much if the records they relied on left with a former staff member.
Holding your own copy is not about distrust. It is the same principle as keeping your own copy of your lease, your insurance policy or your company constitution. These records describe assets the business owns and pays for, so the business should be able to read them without asking permission from anyone else.
Accounts and access
The most important record is a list of every system with an admin account: Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, your domain registrar, website hosting, firewall, Wi-Fi controller, backup service, accounting software, phone system and any industry applications. For each, note who holds admin access and where the credentials are stored, ideally a business-owned password manager.
Include the break-glass accounts that let the business regain control if normal access fails, and note how multi-factor sign-in is set up for each. Record the renewal dates for your domain names and any certificates, because a lapsed domain can take email and the website offline without warning, and the reminder emails often go to someone who left long ago.
Network and devices
A simple network diagram does not need to be technical artwork. It should show where the internet connection comes in, where the firewall and switches are, how Wi-Fi is provided, and where any servers, printers and network storage sit. Include the internet provider's account number and the connection type, such as fibre or a backup wireless link.
Keep an asset list of every computer, server, printer and network device, with serial numbers, purchase dates, warranty end dates and who uses each one. This list supports budgeting, insurance claims after theft or damage, and planning replacements. It also makes it easier to spot equipment that has quietly gone missing when staff leave or move desks.
Software and licences
List every software subscription the business pays for, who uses it, how it is billed and when it renews. Include cloud services that individual staff may have signed up for with a company card, as these are easily forgotten. Note who supports each application and how to contact them when something stops working.
Licences purchased through a provider should be recorded in your name, with proof of ownership available. When a provider relationship ends, licences that cannot be transferred cleanly cause headaches, so knowing exactly what you have and where it was bought makes the transition simpler and protects you from paying twice for the same thing.
Backups and recovery
Record what is backed up, how often, where the copies are stored and how long they are kept. Note when the last restore test was done and what it showed. Many businesses assume their cloud data is backed up automatically, so record clearly whether Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace data has a separate backup.
Alongside this, keep a simple recovery plan: what to do if the office loses internet, if the server fails, if a laptop is stolen or if ransomware strikes. It does not have to be long. A page listing who to call, what to check first and where the important information lives is far better than nothing when people are stressed.
Suppliers and keeping it current
Keep a contact list for every technology supplier: IT provider, internet provider, phone system, printer leasing company, software vendors, alarm or access control company and website developer. Include account numbers and how to log faults, because during an outage nobody wants to search old emails for a reference number while staff wait. Add the name of the person in your business who usually deals with each supplier.
Documentation decays quickly if nobody owns it. Make one person responsible for keeping it current and review it at least once a year, ideally during a quarterly IT review. Store it securely, with sensitive parts such as credentials kept in the password manager rather than a shared document, and keep an offline copy of the essentials somewhere safe.
In short
- Hold your own copy of IT records, whoever manages your systems.
- Start with admin accounts, break-glass access and domain renewal dates.
- Keep network, asset, licence and supplier lists up to date.
- Write a one-page recovery plan and review everything yearly.