As the calendar turns, many people start thinking about personal resolutions - healthier habits, better organization, clearer goals. For veterinary practices, the New Year is also an ideal time to set business resolutions, particularly around technology. Your systems, devices, and data are the digital backbone of your hospital. If they are cluttered, outdated, or poorly protected, they quietly erode productivity, increase risk, and frustrate your team.
Making “technology clean up” a formal New Year’s resolution helps ensure your practice stays efficient, secure, and prepared for growth in 2026 and beyond. Here are several practical areas to focus on as you build a cleaner, stronger technology environment.
Review the Lifecycle of Your Equipment
Technology does not age gracefully. Devices that still “turn on” may already be past the point where they support staff productivity.
As a general guideline:
Beyond these ranges, performance slows, failures become more frequent, and compatibility issues increase - especially with modern operating systems and cloud-based applications.
Equally important is warranty coverage. All critical equipment - workstations, servers, firewalls, switches, and wireless access points - should remain within active warranty windows. Hardware failures outside of warranty are more expensive, take longer to resolve, and often result in downtime at the worst possible moment.
Use the New Year to inventory your equipment and build a replacement budget for aging devices. Proactively refreshing outdated gear prevents staff slowdowns, reduces emergency purchases, and supports consistent workflows across the hospital.
Audit and Clean Up Your Backups
Backups are often assumed to be “set and forget,” but that assumption can be dangerous. A New Year technology review should include a full backup audit.
Start by confirming that backups are:
For practices with on-premises servers, backups should occur locally for quick recovery and be replicated to the cloud for disaster protection.
Next, review what is being backed up. Over time, digital clutter accumulates - old files, outdated records, and unused data that consume storage and slow backup processes. Imaging and X-ray data are common culprits, quietly filling backup repositories year after year.
Cleaning up unnecessary data ensures your backups have adequate space, complete on time, and are ready when you need them most.
Finally, do not forget cloud data. Email platforms and cloud file storage still require safeguards and backup strategies. Just because data is not stored on a local server does not mean it is automatically protected.
Make Cloud Readiness a Resolution
Whether your practice is already using cloud services or planning to migrate in the future, cloud readiness should be a top New Year’s priority.
Key readiness steps include:
These steps not only improve day-to-day performance but also lay the foundation for future cloud initiatives.
Build a Cybersecurity Plan for 2026
Technology clean up is incomplete without a forward-looking cybersecurity strategy. Cybersecurity should not be reactive; it must be planned, documented, and reinforced throughout the year.
A strong plan includes:
Regular training ensures cybersecurity is part of your culture, not just a once-a-year reminder.
A Resolution That Pays Off All Year
A New Year technology clean up is not about perfection - it is about intention. By reviewing equipment lifecycles, cleaning up backups, preparing for the cloud, and formalizing cybersecurity practices, veterinary practices can reduce risk, improve efficiency, and support their teams more effectively.
Unlike many resolutions that fade by February, a thoughtful technology resolution delivers benefits all year long - keeping your practice productive, protected, and ready for whatever 2026 brings.