Most businesses focus on implementing new systems and then they forget about maintenance. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, it is easily done but if you do think about maintaining your I.T. systems you can potentially increase the life expectancy of them. Simply put, you cannot afford to forget about your I.T. maintenance.
Good maintenance of systems means that you could see off a threat or a disaster before it comes to fruition
Our Top 10 I.T. Maintenance Jobs
Your servers and devices are the home of your data; the very essence of your business. They can last you 6 months or 10 years so be house proud and:
- Conduct Regular back-ups – When was the last time you backed-up your data? How much data would you lose if your server failed right now? Decide how much data you are ‘willing’ to lose and back-up accordingly.
- Run Antivirus and Spyware scans – Any computer that is connected to the internet needs to be protected from cyber security threats. Protect your business from potential threats. This needs to be carried out automatically or on a regular basis.
- Carry out all System updates – Check for updates for all of your hardware and software including the latest Windows updates and drivers. Get the latest update available to minimise security risks.
- Conduct a Server audit – Review your server’s performance to see if there is anything slowing it down.
- Tidy up your Software – Use the ‘Add or Remove Programs’ in the control panel and remove any software that you aren’t using. Then take a look at your internet browser windows and remove any tools or plug-ins that you no longer use.
- Check your Hardware – Ensure that your disks, switches and cables have plenty of life left in them and aren’t likely to overheat and cause more damage in the long run. Even give them a little dust because dusty I.T. equipment traps heats which will reduce its performance and therefore, reduces its lifespan.
- Optimise your Disk usage – Do you need all of those old emails? Or different versions of the same document? Delete or achieve accordingly. Ensure your disk usage doesn’t creep up to capacity.
- Tidy those Cables – Yep, tidy those cables up. If someone snags a cable and you can’t easily see where it goes, how much time are you going to spend trying to find the right place, not to mention the potential downtime? Use twist cable ties or cables wraps. It makes everything look a lot neater and easy to identify.
- Optimise your Operating System – Keep your Operating System (OS) updated on a regular basis and remove unnecessary information such as temporary files and clean internet browser search history.
- Defrag – Organising your files through defragmenting means that your system is at its top performance. The Windows defragmenting tool (Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter) This gives you faster disc access times and improved systems performance.
I.T. Maintenance Ownership
As I am sure you have realised, I.T. system maintenance needs to be carried out regularly but who will be the person responsible?
You can recruit an I.T. specialise but typically, if you are a small business, you’d probably look to delegate those tasks to existing employees with the right skill set. Better yet, outsource your I.T. maintenance; you get the system support you
need, regular maintenance done and its financially feasible.