Built By Base Code
Built By Base Code
Secure. Automate. Scale.
Self-audit
Cloud & SaaS resilience · small business
builtbybasecode.com/audit/cloud

Do you own your cloud, or does it own you?

Eighteen yes/no questions across the cloud and SaaS your business depends on: where things run, whether you could recover from a failure, whether you know what you are spending, and whether you could leave a vendor tomorrow if you had to. Ten minutes to complete. Score at the bottom, interpretation and next steps on the reverse.

How to score. Tick Yes (2 pts) if this is fully in place and you could evidence it. Tick Not sure (1 pt) if you think so but have not verified, or if it is true for some systems and not others. Tick No (0 pts) if this is not the case today.

01Where things live 3 questions

1.1
You have a written list of every cloud service and SaaS platform your business depends on, and what runs where (email, files, accounting, CRM, website, phone system).
1.2
You know which of your systems are single points of failure. If that one system went down for a day, you know exactly what would stop working and what your workaround is.
1.3
No production system runs on a laptop under someone's desk, or on a server the business does not own or fully control.

02Backups & recovery 3 questions

2.1
You have independent backups of the data inside your major SaaS platforms (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Xero). You are not relying on the vendor's built-in recycle bin as your only recovery path.
2.2
You have restored data from a backup in the last 90 days. Confirming a backup runs is not the same as confirming you can restore.
2.3
You have a written disaster recovery plan that names your RTO (how quickly you need to be back up) and RPO (how much data loss is acceptable) for each critical system.

03Cost visibility 3 questions

3.1
You know your total monthly cloud and SaaS spend within ±10 percent. You could produce the number without opening ten browser tabs.
3.2
You audited subscriptions in the last 6 months and cancelled or downgraded anything unused or overprovisioned.
3.3
You review each renewal (annual or monthly) against alternatives at least once a year. You have not been paying legacy pricing on a tier that no longer matches your usage.
Built By Base Code
Built By Base Code
Secure. Automate. Scale.
Self-audit · continued
Cloud & SaaS resilience · small business
builtbybasecode.com/audit/cloud

04Ownership & exit strategy 3 questions

4.1
Every cloud account (hosting, domain, DNS, email, storage) is registered in your business name, on a business email address, not on a personal account of a past staff member or a contractor.
4.2
You can export your data (customers, records, files, transactions) from every critical SaaS platform in a portable format on demand. You have actually tried the export at least once.
4.3
If a key vendor doubled their price or shut down tomorrow, you know what your migration path would look like. You are not locked in by data-format captivity.

05Access & admin 3 questions

5.1
Multi-factor authentication is on for every cloud admin account (hosting console, DNS registrar, cloud storage, SaaS super-admins), the same as end-user accounts. Admin accounts are the highest-value target.
5.2
Audit logs are enabled on your major SaaS platforms. If someone changed a critical setting, deleted data, or shared a file externally, you could see who did what and when.
5.3
Provisioning and de-provisioning are consistent. A new staff member gets the same access set, and a leaver's access is fully removed the same day.

06Performance & scale 3 questions

6.1
Your website loads in under 3 seconds on a mobile connection, and your critical SaaS tools feel responsive during normal business hours.
6.2
You have headroom to grow. Adding two more staff, doubling customer records, or handling a seasonal spike would not require an emergency upgrade.
6.3
You have basic monitoring or uptime alerting on your website and critical services. You do not find out something is down because a customer emailed you.
Built By Base Code
Built By Base Code
Secure. Automate. Scale.
Score & next steps
Cloud & SaaS Self-Audit
builtbybasecode.com/audit/cloud
Add your ticks · Yes = 2, Not sure = 1, No = 0 Maximum possible: 36. Write your total in the box.
/ 36

What your score means

Resilient and owned 28 to 36

Your cloud and SaaS setup gives you real ownership. You know where everything runs, you have backups you have tested, you know what you are spending, and you could leave any vendor without losing the business. The next tier of value is usually optimisation of cost and performance, or planning ahead for growth thresholds.

Working, with fragility 15 to 27

Your setup keeps the lights on but there are quiet risks. Common gaps at this level: SaaS backups you do not have, ownership sitting on personal accounts, or a vendor lock-in you have not tested. A short project can turn "it is running" into "it is resilient" without changing the tools you already use.

Vulnerable and dependent 0 to 14

Your business is more dependent on chance than most owners realise. A single vendor outage, a lost password, or a departing contractor could take significant capability offline. This is not unusual for a business that grew fast on whatever tools worked. A 2 to 6 week project can put in the ownership, backups, and documentation that turn the situation around at a fixed price.

Wherever you scored, do these three things this month

  1. Write down every cloud and SaaS your business uses. Include what it does, who administers it, and what happens if it disappears tomorrow. That single page is the map for everything else.
  2. Check the ownership on your domain and hosting accounts. If either is in a contractor's personal name or on a Gmail address, that is a business-continuity ticking clock.
  3. Export data from your most critical SaaS. Even if you never touch the file again, prove to yourself that you can. If the export does not work or is missing fields, you have a lock-in.
Ready to own your cloud outright?

Book a free 30-minute discovery call.

Thirty minutes to walk through your current cloud and SaaS setup. No obligation. Fixed-price scope within 5 business days if a project fits.

Book at builtbybasecode.com/contact Or email services@builtbybasecode.com · We reply within one business day.
About Built By Base Code. We are a local IT consultancy based in Ballina, serving small businesses across Ballina, Byron, Lismore, Casino, and Tweed. We build cybersecurity, process automation, and cloud infrastructure. Every project is quoted at a fixed price in writing, and you own the end result outright, with documentation, credentials, and training at handover. No lock-in contracts. Cloud accounts are set up in your name from day one, not ours.