Monday is Thanksgiving. Many Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland shops close Friday afternoon and reopen Tuesday. That's three quiet days. Quiet days are when small problems turn into big ones.

Fall is also storm season on the Island. Wind takes down lines. Power flickers. A PC that loses power mid-update can fail to boot on Tuesday.

Here is a calm, five-minute checklist. Do it before you lock the door.

1. Check your backup actually finished

Don't trust a green icon. Open your backup tool and look for last night's date and the word "success."

Then restore one file. Any file. If it comes back, you have a backup. If it doesn't, you have a hope.

Keep one copy off-site. A cloud backup works. So does a USB drive that goes home with the owner.

Unplug that USB drive when the backup is done. Ransomware can't encrypt what isn't connected.

2. Protect your PCs from outages and surges

A UPS (uninterruptible power supply) is a battery box that sits between the wall and your computer. When power drops, it keeps the PC running long enough to shut down safely.

You don't need one on every desk. Put one on the machines that matter most: the front-desk PC, the accounting computer, and any small server or network storage.

Use surge protection on the modem, router and printers too. Surges often arrive when power comes back on.

Before you leave, restart for updates. Let them finish now, not at 2 a.m. during an outage.

3. Lock down access

Holiday weekends are busy for scammers. Fewer people watch inboxes, so a fake invoice or password reset can sit unnoticed.

  • Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) on every Microsoft 365 or Google account.
  • Keep out-of-office replies short. No mobile numbers. No travel details.
  • Lock screens with Windows key + L.
  • Visitors use guest Wi-Fi only.

4. Write a one-page plan

Pin it by the door or the till:

  • Who to call for IT (phone and WhatsApp).
  • Who has admin passwords (stored in a password manager).
  • What to do if someone clicks a strange email: unplug the network cable, then call.

Tip: Microsoft Copilot or any AI assistant can draft this page in a minute. Just check the phone numbers yourself.

Shop this

Products we often recommend for small offices. Search results open on Amazon.ca so you can pick a model that fits your desk and budget; we can help size it.

Old PC that won't survive another winter? Staples Preferred refurbished business PCs and laptops are a solid, budget-friendly option. Buy one, and we'll set it up right.

As an Amazon Associate, Human Touch IT earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability change; check Amazon.ca for current details.

Let us set it up

Human Touch IT installs and configures UPS units, backups and new or refurbished PCs across the Comox Valley. Installation and setup: CAD $150. We transfer your files, printers, email and Microsoft 365, and switch on MFA and backups on day one.

Not sure where you stand? Book a free 20-minute IT check-up at humantouchit.ai, or call or WhatsApp +1 250-792-0190.

Happy Thanksgiving from Human Touch IT. Local people, local service.