New Business IT Checklist for Perth Startups and Growing Businesses

Getting your IT right from the start saves you from expensive fixes later. This is what DM1 sets up for every new Perth business we work with.

Why IT Setup Matters More at the Start Than Any Other Time

Most new Perth businesses make their IT decisions quickly and under pressure — choosing free tools, using personal accounts for business, and skipping security steps because there are more urgent things to do. These decisions feel harmless at the time. By the time the business has five staff and two years of data, they are expensive to undo.

Personal accounts become a business dependency

A business that starts on a personal Gmail, a personal Dropbox, or a personal Microsoft account quickly accumulates data and connections that are difficult to migrate. When the business grows and needs proper email, that migration costs time and money that proper setup from the start would have avoided.

Security gaps compound over time

A business that launches without a second login step, without properly managed devices, or without a clear account management process will have those gaps in place for years. Each gap is a risk that grows as the business handles more client data, more financial information, and more sensitive communications.

Fixing it later is more expensive than doing it right

Migrating email, restructuring file storage, recovering from a breach, or untangling a licensing mess all cost significantly more than setting things up correctly at the start. DM1 works with new businesses specifically to avoid these costs.

The New Business IT Checklist

Work through these in order. Each item builds on the one before it. DM1 can handle all of this for you — or advise on any item you are unsure about.

Your domain and business email

✓

Your domain — yourbusiness.com.au — should be registered in your business’s name, not your personal name and not your IT provider’s name. Use a reputable Australian registrar. DM1 can manage this for you.

✓

Set up professional business email on that domain

Staff should communicate from name@yourbusiness.com.au — not Gmail, Hotmail, or any free service. Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Premium provides business email, Teams, and the full Office suite in one subscription.

✓

Configure your email authentication settings

Three settings — SPF, DKIM, and DMARC — prove to other email services that your emails are genuine and prevent your domain being used to send fake emails. Without them, your emails may be marked as spam and your domain can be impersonated. DM1 configures these as standard.

✓

Set up email archiving and retention

Business email should be retained for a minimum period for legal and compliance reasons. Microsoft 365 includes retention policy tools. DM1 configures these to match your industry requirements.

Accounts and access

✓

Create individual accounts for every staff member

Every person who works in the business should have their own account with their own login. Shared accounts make it impossible to audit who did what, and create significant security and compliance risks.

✓

Enable a second login step on every account

A second login step — usually a code sent to a phone — means a stolen password alone is not enough to access an account. This single step prevents the majority of business account compromises. DM1 enables this as the first security action on every new client.

✓

Set up a break-glass admin account

Every Microsoft 365 environment should have a dedicated emergency admin account that is separate from any individual staff member’s account. If the owner’s account is compromised or a key person leaves, this account provides a recovery path. DM1 configures and secures this for every new client.

✓

Document who has access to what

Keep a record of every system, service, and account in the business — and who has access to each. This sounds basic but most businesses do not have it. When someone leaves or something goes wrong, this list is the starting point for containing the damage.

Devices

✓

Enrol every work device into device management

Device management — included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium — means every laptop, desktop, and mobile device used for work is configured consistently, kept up to date automatically, and can be remotely wiped if lost or stolen. DM1 enrols and configures devices as part of new client onboarding.

✓

Apply security baselines to every device

Every work device should have consistent security settings applied — screen lock, encryption, automatic updates, and endpoint protection. DM1 deploys a security baseline across all managed devices so every machine meets the same standard regardless of when it was set up.

✓

Keep a device register

Know what devices exist in the business, who they are assigned to, and when they were purchased. When a staff member leaves or a device is lost, this register is how you know what to act on. DM1 maintains this as a live SharePoint list for managed clients.

File storage and backup

✓

Store business files in SharePoint or OneDrive — not on local drives

Files stored only on a local hard drive are lost if the device fails, is stolen, or is encrypted by ransomware. SharePoint and OneDrive — included in Microsoft 365 — store files in the cloud, accessible from any device, with version history and recovery built in.

✓

Set up a dedicated backup for Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is not a backup service. If a file is deleted, a mailbox is corrupted, or data is lost, Microsoft’s retention periods are limited and not a substitute for a proper backup. DM1 deploys a dedicated cloud backup covering email, SharePoint, and Teams for every managed client.

✓

Test your backup before you need it

A backup that has never been tested is a backup you cannot rely on. DM1 verifies that backups are running and restorable as part of the standard onboarding process — not just that the software is installed.

Connectivity and phones

✓

Arrange a business-grade internet connection

A consumer NBN connection is not designed for business use. DM1 arranges your NBN connection and handles everything from the initial order through to setup — you do not need to deal with the provider directly.

✓

Set up a business phone system

A cloud-based business phone system routes calls over your internet connection, supports multiple handsets and mobile devices, and presents a professional image from day one. DM1 sets up and manages business phone systems including handsets, call routing, and number porting.

The Most Common IT Mistakes New Perth Businesses Make

These are the patterns DM1 sees most often when new businesses come on board. None of them are unusual — which is exactly why they are worth knowing about before you make the same decisions.

Starting on a personal Microsoft or Google account

The business owner sets up email using their personal Microsoft or Google account because it is quick and free. Twelve months later the business has grown, staff are sharing the owner’s login, and migrating to proper business email means disrupting everyone. Starting on Microsoft 365 Business from day one costs less than the migration later.

Giving everyone admin access because it is easier

Admin access is given to multiple staff members early in the business because it avoids having to manage permissions. Over time, staff leave, accounts are forgotten, and the business has multiple people with full control over its Microsoft 365 environment. Proper role-based access from the start prevents this entirely.

Assuming the cloud means you have a backup

Files stored in Microsoft 365, Google Drive, or Dropbox feel safe because they are in the cloud. But cloud storage is not a backup — if a file is deleted, corrupted, or encrypted by ransomware, the change propagates to the cloud too. A separate backup product is required.

What DM1 Sets Up for Every New Perth Business

DM1 offers a structured new business IT setup service for Perth startups and growing businesses. Everything on the checklist above is included.

Microsoft 365 setup and configuration

DM1 sets up your Microsoft 365 tenancy, creates accounts for every staff member, configures your email authentication settings, and applies security baselines across all accounts. Licences are managed through DM1 as your Microsoft CSP partner.

Device enrolment and security baseline

Every work device is enrolled into Microsoft Intune, configured with DM1’s standard security baseline, and connected to your Microsoft 365 environment. Endpoint protection is deployed. Device management is ongoing from this point.

Backup and file storage

SharePoint and OneDrive are configured for your team. A dedicated Microsoft 365 backup is deployed and verified. Your team knows where files live and how to access them from any device.

What We Found on Day One

These are real findings from DM1’s standard onboarding checks — discovered when new clients came on board and we reviewed what had been set up in the early days of their business.

Discovered during DM1 new client onboarding

The entire business was running from the owner’s personal Microsoft account

When a Perth professional services firm moved to DM1, our standard onboarding review found that all five staff members were sharing login credentials for the business owner’s personal Microsoft account. Two years of business email, files, and contacts were held in a personal account with no way to separate individual staff activity, no audit trail, and no recovery path if the owner’s personal account was compromised. Their previous IT provider had set it up this way to save on licence costs. DM1 migrated the business to Microsoft 365 Business Premium, created individual accounts for all staff, and transferred all data without interruption to daily operations.

Discovered during DM1 new client onboarding

No second login step — and the business had been trading for three years

When a Perth retail business moved to DM1, our standard security review found that not a single Microsoft 365 account in the business had a second login step enabled. The business had been trading for three years, had seven staff accounts, and processed customer orders and financial data daily through Microsoft 365. Their previous IT provider had never enabled it. DM1 enabled multi-factor authentication across all accounts within the first hour of onboarding and briefed every staff member on the setup process.

Discovered during DM1 new client onboarding

Two years of business files stored only on a laptop that had no backup

When a Perth healthcare business moved to DM1, our standard onboarding review found that the practice manager had been saving all business documents — client records, supplier contracts, financial reports — to the local drive of a single laptop. There was no cloud storage, no backup, and no copy anywhere else. The laptop was four years old. Their previous IT provider had not identified or addressed this. DM1 migrated all files to SharePoint, enrolled the device into Microsoft Intune, and deployed a cloud backup covering the full Microsoft 365 environment.

Why Perth Businesses Choose DM1

DM1 is a Perth-based managed IT provider working exclusively with small and medium businesses. We are a Microsoft CSP partner, which means we manage Microsoft 365 licences and configurations directly — and we specialise in setting new businesses up correctly from day one.

Set up correctly the first time

Getting IT right at the start of a business is significantly cheaper than fixing it later. DM1 works with new Perth businesses to build a secure, scalable technology foundation — so you are not paying to undo poor decisions made under time pressure in the first few weeks.

One point of contact for everything IT

DM1 manages your Microsoft 365 licences, your devices, your email, your security, your connectivity, and your backup — all from one place. One number. One provider. As your business grows, your IT grows with it.

Starting a Business in Perth? Talk to DM1 First.

DM1 works with new Perth businesses to set up IT correctly from day one — so you are not paying to fix it later. Call us before you make your first IT decision. (08) 6202 6012