I provide part-time IT support for a small nonprofit, and urgent work keeps pushing documentation aside. I may move on in the future, so I want to leave a useful handover.
There is an inventory and a high-level network diagram, but the environment also includes virtualization, Active Directory, federation, and Microsoft 365. Should I just write a document, or is a wiki worth setting up? I'm also concerned about exposing a detailed network map online.
Start with what you already have. A short document describing what each major system does, plus the inventory and diagram, is a perfectly reasonable handover. You can move it into a wiki later if that turns out to be useful.
Focus on the things the next person cannot easily infer: which systems depend on each other, where backups go, and how access to key services is handed over. You don't need a detailed manual for every server before any of it is useful.
I'd put the network and service relationships into a diagram first. Show the major systems, VLANs, connections and backup destinations, then link or number the boxes to match short notes. It gives someone a way to understand the environment before digging through individual server descriptions.
For a Microsoft 365 environment, OneNote is worth considering if the people taking over can access and maintain it. It avoids standing up another service just to hold the notes.
Keep the inventory in a spreadsheet if that's easier, and link to it from the notebook. A wiki might help with ongoing updates, but picking one can become another project that delays the actual writing.
_a53+ferrulebasket.9:
Wherever it lives, make sure the handover explains who can grant access to the documentation as well as where to find it.
Plain text files in Git are another option, especially if the next admin is comfortable with that workflow. Version history helps track changes, and Markdown can be turned into a browsable site if you want one later.
That said, Git adds a workflow to learn. A document or notebook is a better choice if it's more likely to get updated.
The security concern is real, but offline versus online isn't the only decision. Think about who needs the network details, restrict access accordingly, and make sure the next person can still get to them during a handover.
Keep credentials in an appropriate secure location rather than putting them directly in the general documentation. The handover can explain how authorized staff obtain access without exposing the secrets themselves.
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6w!sparevalve_319:
That sounds manageable alongside the inventory. I was worried a single document might be too basic for the handover.