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IN THIS ISSUE
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DATE: April 2007Visit us online at : www.intelligentns.com website created by nextstep 24/7 Support:
(408) 260-1601
Help Desk: |
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How to Save Your Company with Preventative Service
Maintenance Preventing down time is, therefore, a vital consideration in daily operations. There are, to be sure, causes of computer down-time that cannot be anticipated or prevented. There are, however, things a small business can do to protect itself from some of the leading causes of computer outages and reduced functionality. Many of the leading causes of computer or system outages can be avoided with preventative service maintenance. Few small business owners would ignore preventative dental treatments or automobile maintenance. Yet many people either do not understand or do not give the same attention to preventative service maintenance of their computers, networks, applications, and other systems. The simple truth is this: regular preventative maintenance can prevent hard drive crashes, damaged power supplies, overheating, lockups, freezes, intermittent interruptions, and more. Many people also believe that once an IT system is created and programmed, it will need no further attention unless something goes wrong. They do not understand that programs must be updated and that other changes are necessary to keep a system functioning at peak efficiency. Computers, programs and systems integration must be updated, patches must be created, and drivers and links must be downloaded and integrated into the system. This is part of preventative service maintenance. So what is preventative maintenance? 1. Dust removal. The first step in preventative maintenance of a computer is regular removal of the dust that accumulates in a computer. Dust buildup causes overheating and can cause various components in your computer to fail. In fact, studies have shown that 84% of computer and system problems result from overheating caused by dust and dirt in the computer. Your computers should be cleaned every six to nine months to remove dust, clean drives, adjust internal cables to facilitate air flow, and ensure that the number one cause of system failure will not shut down your business. 2. Registry maintenance. Preventative maintenance examines the start-up section of your registry. This step includes checking system resources and maximizing storage, drives and registry settings. This maintenance step prevents shut-downs and allows your computers or your system to operate faster. 3. Software maintenance. The third step in preventative maintenance is to review all critical software settings for the most efficient operation. This may include removal of unnecessary temporary files, defrag, and root directory optimization. It will also include cleaning up directories, task bar settings, lost registry files, and video settings. This step will make your system or your computer more efficient and prevent slow-down caused by extraneous files. 4. Software update. All programs need to be updated in any of a number of ways to keep you fully operational. In this step of preventative maintenance, all manufacturer updates to programs will be integrated, patches will be made to prevent errors, and the latest drivers will be downloaded. This step ensures that your programs are working together at maximum efficiency, you are using the latest versions of all programs, and bugs in programs are identified and repaired. 5. Virus and spyware protection. This critical step in routine preventative maintenance includes a check of computers and systems for viruses and spyware. It also checks the effectiveness of your fire wall. Protecting your system from viruses and spyware can be as important in maintaining your system and the security of your information as is dust removal. How will preventative maintenance save your business? Regular preventative maintenance will keep you in business. In today’s business environment, data and systems efficiency are the most critical elements of business effectiveness. Without access to data and without your systems to streamline processes, you could find yourself dealing with system problems instead of selling products or services. Without routine preventative maintenance, you will be spending far too much of your capital on new computers and system updates. A preventative maintenance plan will identify problems waiting to happen, keep your systems in the best possible operating condition, and ensure a healthy business environment for your company. Preventative maintenance will enable the small business to remain focused on core competencies, knowing that the systems, hardware and software will keep you operational.
IT Problem of the Month: Improper Backup Solutions Sudden computer crashes can
cost companies hours worth of lost productivity resulting in thousands of
dollars. Without proper back-up systems companies can lose weeks or months
worth of work, even entire databases, not to mention sensitive client
information, financial data such as bank or tax records, credit card
information, social security numbers, etc.
According to Thomas Burns, founder of Intelligent Network Services, many
companies have the ideology that they do not need a backup system, but once a
problem arises they find themselves in a big dilemma trying to find lost data,
if it can be found at all. “Only backing up your data on a server can save you
from going out of business but having to rebuild the server configuration can
be quite costly. It can cost anywhere
from hundreds to thousands of dollars for lost data recovery,” said Burns. “A
portion of that money could have purchased a backup system to protect the data
and an operating system configuration on a daily basis.” Many companies wait until they have
absolutely no room to backup their data on a single tape. This causes the
backup to require multiple tapes. The
companies virtually never insert the second tape and they get consistent failed
backups. This is all assuming that the
company is doing nightly automated backups to tape. Attempting to do backups manually and / or
using other backup means, such as burning data to DVD’s, should never be
considered as an option.
Many businesses are offering remote backup solutions. This is still a fairly new technology. It is an option for some companies, but not for everyone as of yet. It does give clients the ability have copies of their data in an offsite location.
Free Network Evaluation Press Release A recent INS press release announced our offer of free network evaluations to small and mid-sized Silicon Valley companies. This service to local companies will determine if their network is productive so their business remains productive. It also indicates whether existing IT support is doing a good job or needs improvement. Read the entire press release at www.intelligentns.com. Next Step e-Solutions is a business partnership with more than 20 collective years of expertise in the areas of Internet marketing, software development, project management, graphic design and customer support. Next Step was formed to develop high quality, effective Websites for clients who want more than just a pretty Internet face. Next Step e-Solutions is the preferred service provider for business owners who expect more: more functionality, more traffic, more results. Visit them today at http://www.nextstep-esolutions.com. | |
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INTELLIGENT NETWORK SERVICES 384 S BAYWOOD AVE SAN JOSE, CA 95128 TEL: 408-260-1601 FAX: 408-260-1611 |
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