Keep your devices running smoothly as your team enters the new year.
Nobody wants to start the new year with a call to tech support.
Computer-related hang-ups are common around this time of year, but forward-thinking users take time to plan in advance and keep their systems running well.
Well-maintained devices not only live longer, but they also work faster and offer a smoother user experience. Every organisation wants to extend the lifetime value of their equipment purchases, and user maintenance is the best way to do it.
Things You Can Do To Improve Your Device’s Lifespan Today
There are plenty of computer maintenance tasks that a non-expert user can accomplish on his or her own. Users who take the first few days of the new year to take care of these tasks are better-prepared for problem-free use through the rest of the year.
1) Delete Unwanted Applications
The average desktop user collects a wide range of applications for one-time use during the year. These include anything from file compression tools to specialty web portals. Clearing them out of your applications folder will help increase disk space and make it easier for you to find the small core group of applications you use on a daily basis.
Make sure that when you delete these applications, you uninstall them completely. Deleting program icons does not remove them from your system. Windows applications typically include a formal uninstaller executable. Mac applications are often easier to uninstall, but not always.
2) Run a Full Malware Scan
One of the best things you can do to ensure your device remains in good functioning order is to perform a comprehensive malware scan. Be sure to choose your malware security vendor carefully. If there are any holes in your security perimeter, a scan will help you identify and mitigate them.
3) Install Patches and Updates
If you are the kind of person who puts off patch updates, now is the time to get up to speed. Updates often contain useful security patches designed to thwart the latest cybersecurity threats – these can end up saving your company huge, embarrassing losses.
Updates and patches can take a while to fully install. This is especially true if you have been putting them off for too long. Give the process some time and make sure you start the new year fully up-to-date.
4) Organise Your Hardware and Cables
There is something strange yet inexplicably appealing about highly organised cable management. While it might seem like a purely aesthetic passion, there is a real functional use case for keeping cables and hardware organised.
First, you can use this opportunity to identify and disconnect unauthorised hardware. Uncleared hardware often offers the ideal backdoor entry into corporate networks. Second, you can clear overloaded electrical connections to prevent the risk of fire.
You may also find damaged cables in your business environment. These can definitely slow down web traffic and cause intermittent signal cutoffs.
Start the Year With an IT Risk Assessment Audit
Many of the items in this list form part of any reputable IT vendor’s risk assessment audit. Executives and office managers have a duty to mitigate risk in the workplace, and tech-related risks can be some of the most troublesome to identify. Consider making an assessment audit part of your annual computer maintenance checklist.
For more information on maintenance tips and how SMB Solutions can help keep your computers maintained with our MSP packages, get in touch with the support team today.