Everyone loves that first day with a new computer or software. Everything is neat and tidy. It runs smoothly and f-a-s-t.
Then we get to work.
Time passes.
We pull in new apps and spend time surfing from site to site. We save documents and images, links, and our desktops get cluttered and messy. Our bookmarks get cluttered and disorganized. Things start slowing down.
Apps and sites get updated and we upload some of them – when it’s convenient. All of a sudden, things on our computers and networks don’t work quite right. An integration jams up our system or process. Maybe a connection is broken, printers don’t link or print properly. In worse case scenarios, something crashes.
It’s annoying and aggravating – and slows us, and our business, down. We start thinking what a pain in the neck technology really is – not the wondrous world we anticipated – and were promised.
IT maintenance is a real thing – consider it a necessary aspect of your business
Think of basic IT maintenance like housekeeping – or doing laundry. Just like your home or vehicle needs basic care and maintenance, so does the technology in your system. There’s nothing worse than not having clean underwear or clothes to wear. And, like doing the laundry, some basic IT maintenance will keep your systems running better, such as:
- Archiving old material
- Deleting redundant files
- Eliminating files that are superseded, out of date, or no longer pertinent
- Defragmenting hard drives
- Cleaning up desktops, bookmarks, unneeded links and apps
This kind of IT maintenance should be handled by each user on a regular basis. It frees up space and makes your computers run faster by eliminating so many programs and hoops to hop through.
Computer program and app updates
Updates are not issued just for security purposes, although that is a significant part of updates. No, updates are issued for many reasons, including keeping the program or software current to work with new technology and other systems. Technology changes and what was once compatible may no longer be compatible. This not only makes some things better; it also can create hiccups.
When updates come out, the alerts often provide an option to “install update later” which, if it’s an option taken too often, can open up your system to security risks, and to operational risks.
For instance, a good example is when WordPress issues an update. Many small businesses have built their websites on a WordPress platform. The benefit to users that WordPress has become the go-to platform is in the number of other services and apps available to integrate into your website ballooning. Therein lies the blessing – and the shortcoming. When WordPress issues an update, not every other app, plugin or software integration will continue to operate properly – the connection may be incompatible.
When updated systems and software, you have to be prepared to not just find the problems, but fix them. And that’s where the task gets hairy – and it pays to have an experienced IT professional at the ready.
And we aren’t even talking about the security issues. No, we are talking about your ecommerce platform going haywire, or other automated processes seizing up. And, for many NuMedia clients, it’s a customer call that alerts them that a problem exists.
And then they are battling a raging wildfire instead of a managing a controlled burn. Although our clients know they can count on us when they discover that raging fire and call us with their emergency, it’s less stress for all of us if we help with the controlled burn and provide IT maintenance services.
When it’s time to update and maintenance a system, we know what to do, what to look for, how to adjust misalignments and prevent the wildfire – which, in small business, can mean loss of sales, customers, or opportunities. It costs time and money – more than a regular maintenance service call would have taken.
Keeping your systems running optimally is what everyone wants – you, your IT people, and even your customers. If that is a priority for you, make sure you have a maintenance plan in place. NuMedia is available to help you with that. Call us to talk more about how we can make it happen.