6 DIY IT Fixes You Can Implement in Your Small Business for Under $1,000

You don’t need an enterprise IT budget to get basic security, reliability, and less day-to-day chaos. Each of these six projects can typically be implemented for under $1,000 in a small environment, and they align with widely recommended best practices. Treat each item as a focused mini-project. Implement it properly, move on to the next, and you’ll end up with a far more resilient and predictable IT setup than most small businesses.

1. Replace the Junk Router and Segment Your Network

Most small businesses still run on a consumer router or whatever the ISP installed. That’s fine for a home, but a bad idea for a company network. Modern guidance on guest Wi-Fi security is to keep guest and internal traffic logically separated (typically with VLANs and firewall rules) so visitors can’t touch internal systems.

Typical spend: $400–$900 (business-grade router/firewall + 1–2 access points + small managed switch if needed).

What to implement

Business-grade router/firewall. Put the ISP box into bridge or modem-only mode so your router handles NAT, firewall, and DHCP.
Separate guest Wi-Fi. Create a dedicated guest SSID that is isolated from your internal LAN. Guests should only reach the internet, not your PCs, servers, or printers.
Reserved IPs for key devices. Assign fixed or reserved IP addresses for printers, NAS, and POS devices to avoid “it disappeared from the network” issues.
Secure management. Change default admin credentials, disable remote management from the internet, and restrict management access to internal addresses or VPN.

Key risk addressed

A flat network behind a consumer router is easy to pivot around once any device is compromised.
Segmentation and a proper firewall reduce lateral movement and improve stability with minimal recurring cost.

2. Implement a Real Backup Strategy (the 3-2-1 Rule)

“Everything’s in the cloud” is not a backup strategy. The classic 3-2-1 rule is still widely recommended: keep three copies of your data, on two different types of media, with at least one copy stored off-site. That structure minimizes single points of failure and gives you a path back after ransomware, hardware failure, or accidental deletion.

Typical spend: $150–$600 for local storage (external drives or a small NAS) plus $10–$30/month per protected device for cloud backup.

What to implement

Local automated backups. Use Windows Backup, macOS Time Machine, or backup software to run daily backups to an external drive or NAS.
Off-site/cloud backups. For servers or critical workstations, configure automated cloud backups to a reputable provider.
Scope the “must-survive” data. Identify files and systems you absolutely cannot lose (finance, line-of-business apps, shared drives) and back those up first.
Test restores quarterly. Periodically restore random files and, at least annually, do a test restore of a full machine or core data set.

Key risk addressed

Backups are not about avoiding problems; they’re about making sure problems are survivable. A simple 3-2-1 strategy provides resilience against both everyday mistakes and serious incidents.

3. Roll Out a Password Manager and Mandatory MFA

Password reuse and weak credentials are still among the most common ways attackers get into small-business environments. A business password manager gives each user a secure vault, enables proper sharing without emailing passwords around, and enforces strong, unique passwords by default. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) then adds another layer: even if a password leaks, it’s much harder for someone to log in without the second factor.

Typical spend: $3–$8/user/month for a business password manager. MFA apps are usually free.

What to implement

Adopt a business password manager. Create shared vaults for finance, operations, and IT, and migrate all shared credentials into it.
Enforce strong, unique passwords. Require the generator for new credentials and stop reusing passwords across systems.
Enable MFA on critical systems. Email, banking, accounting, remote access, and any admin dashboards should require MFA at a minimum.
Define an offboarding checklist. Remove departing employees from the password manager, revoke their MFA, and rotate any shared secrets they had.

Key risk addressed

Credential stuffing and phishing thrive on reused passwords and single-factor logins. A password manager plus MFA is one of the highest-ROI controls any small business can deploy.

4. Standardize and Lock Down Company Devices

A random mix of personal laptops, unpatched operating systems, and “whatever someone installed” is a liability. Modern endpoint security assumes that devices are managed, patched, and running a consistent baseline configuration with proper protection software.

Typical spend: $20–$80/device/year for reputable endpoint protection, plus time to standardize builds.

What to implement

Maintain an asset inventory. Track each laptop/desktop, who uses it, its OS version, and its role.
Standard build. Decide on a baseline: supported OS version, full-disk encryption enabled, auto-updates on, required apps installed, and no local admin for normal users.
Centralized endpoint security. Use a single centrally managed endpoint protection/EDR product so you see alerts and status in one place.
Regular audits. At least quarterly, verify that devices still meet the baseline and either upgrade or retire anything that has fallen behind or gone end-of-support.

Key risk addressed

Unpatched, unmanaged endpoints are a primary entry point for malware and attackers. A consistent, locked-down device fleet reduces both the likelihood and impact of compromises.

5. Tighten Email Security with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

Email is still the main channel for phishing and business email compromise. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are now standard authentication mechanisms that let receiving mail servers verify whether messages claiming to be from your domain are legitimate. Properly configured, they make it much harder for attackers to spoof your domain in phishing campaigns.

What to implement

SPF. Publish an SPF record in DNS that lists the services and mail servers allowed to send for your domain.
DKIM. Enable DKIM signing in your email platform so outgoing messages are cryptographically authenticated.
DMARC. Start with a monitoring policy (e.g., p=none) and reporting addresses. Once you’ve validated legitimate senders, move gradually to quarantine or reject.
External email tagging. Add an “[EXTERNAL]” banner to messages from outside your domain to reduce CEO-fraud style attacks.
Short user training. Teach staff how to spot suspicious links/attachments and how to report them quickly.

Key risk addressed

With no SPF/DKIM/DMARC in place, anyone can send email that appears to be from your domain. Authentication plus basic user training significantly lowers the success rate of spoofing attacks.

6. Create Lightweight IT Documentation and a Simple Helpdesk Flow

Even very small teams benefit from documenting how things work and having a single place to log IT issues. A basic knowledge base plus a simple ticketing or request flow stops everything from living in one person’s head and reduces repeat firefighting.

Typical spend: $0–$500/year for a documentation/wiki platform and an entry-level helpdesk tool (often already included in tools you pay for).

What to implement

Central IT “home.” Create one internal page for network diagrams, vendor contacts, and links to admin consoles (credentials stay in the password manager).
Simple request channel. Use a dedicated shared email (e.g., it@company.com) or a basic ticketing system to capture all IT issues.
Short runbooks. Write one-page procedures for “internet is down,” “printer offline,” “new employee onboarding,” and “employee offboarding.”
Knowledge base. Document recurring issues and their resolutions so future tickets are faster and less dependent on a single person.

Key risk addressed

When nobody documents anything, every outage or question becomes a bespoke problem. A light helpdesk workflow and a living knowledge base turn random interruptions into a manageable queue.