What a website or system care plan should cover

Software keeps changing after launch: security updates, new browser versions, expiring certificates and domains, and small changes the business needs. Without a plan these wait until something breaks, and a customer usually notices first.

• Security and software updates on a schedule.
• Uptime monitoring that alerts someone when the site goes down.
• Backups, and a restore that has actually been tested.
• Renewal of domains and certificates before they expire.
• A monthly allowance for small changes.
• A short report of what was done.

• How fast do you respond, and on which days and hours?
• Who has access to our accounts, and how is access removed?
• Where are backups kept, and when was a restore last tested?
• What counts as a small change, and what becomes a project?
• If we leave, what do we get and how?

A system may be running without care if:

• Nobody knows when the last update ran.
• The domain or email is registered to a former employee.
• The site went down and you heard it from a customer.
• Nobody has seen a backup restored.

We review the site or system first, fix anything urgent, then keep it updated and monitored.