Technology can be many things.
It can be powerful, efficient, and cutting-edge. It can also be finicky, prone to failure, and easily damaged.
In business, when hardware or software begins to fail, it can easily grind your operations to a halt. All of a sudden, your customers can’t reach you, orders can’t be filled, your employees can’t do their jobs.
While no technology is bulletproof — everything eventually dies, usually at the worst possible time — there are steps you can take to better inoculate yourself from the ensuing damage.
One of those steps is preventative maintenance.
Boiled down, preventative maintenance means taking a proactive approach to maintaining and optimizing your company’s technology infrastructure, and it involves a series of scheduled tasks, checks, and updates performed by IT to ensure operations aren’t disrupted.
There are three main focuses of preventative maintenance, each with its own checklist to go through. These are:
Hardware preventative maintenance focuses on the physical components of IT systems, such as your servers, workstations, printers, and network devices. It involves tasks like:
Cleaning and inspecting hardware components for dust, overheating, or physical damage
Checking and replacing fans, filters, and other consumable parts
Performing firmware updates and BIOS upgrades
Verifying cable connections and power supply integrity
Conducting diagnostic tests and performance benchmarking
Beyond reducing the risk of outright failures, this maintenance of hardware also extends the lifespan of your equipment and improves hardware performance — two things that can have a dramatic impact on your bottom line.
With software preventative maintenance, the goal is to keep applications, operating systems, and other programs up to date and functioning optimally. It includes activities such as:
Installing software updates, patches, and security fixes
Removing unnecessary or outdated software
Performing data backups and system recovery tests
Monitoring system logs and performance metrics
Optimizing storage and memory usage
By keeping all your software components updated and well-maintained, you can mitigate security vulnerabilities, improve system stability, and ensure compatibility with new technologies.
Network preventive maintenance focuses on maintaining the integrity and performance of your organization's network infrastructure, including routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless access points. It involves tasks like:
Monitoring network traffic and performance
Testing Wi-Fi throughput and interference
Updating firmware and software on network devices
Checking and replacing network cables and connectors
Configuring and testing network security settings
Performing network audits and vulnerability assessments
Regular network maintenance helps ensure reliable connectivity, optimal data transfer speeds, and robust security measures.
An effective IT preventative maintenance program requires time and investment — two things that are often in short supply for small and mid-sized businesses.
While going the DIY route is possible, it rarely makes business sense. Most small and mid-sized businesses don’t have an entire IT department available to manage the scheduling and conducting of maintenance. And even if they did, that department surely has enough on its plate without piling on a never-ending list of tasks like cleaning hardware.
This is why partnering with a managed IT services provider is usually the right call. But before you sign up with just any shop advertising its IT services, make sure their process and approach include the following:
1. Conduct an IT audit to create a comprehensive inventory of all your IT assets, including hardware, software, and network components. This inventory serves as the foundation for the preventative maintenance program.
2. Develop a maintenance schedule based on manufacturer recommendations, industry best practices, and your organization's specific needs. This schedule needs to outline the tasks to be performed, their frequency, and the responsible parties.
3. Monitor and report to keep tabs on the health of your IT systems and document any maintenance activities as they happen. This data can then be used to identify bad trends and optimize your maintenance schedules.
4. Use automation tools and software solutions to streamline and simplify preventative maintenance tasks, including software updates, backups, and performance monitoring. Not only are these tools more efficient, they reduce the risk of human error.
One important thing to keep in mind is that preventative maintenance is not a yearly, or even monthly, process. Your IT provider needs to continually gather feedback, analyze performance metrics, and make adjustments as needed to ensure your technology isn’t just functioning properly but also optimally.