Recommended Annual Maintenance for Networks & Servers

Many companies, big or small, rely on networks and servers for a variety of different things. Some companies are comfortable using their networks and servers for storing data locally, so that they don’t need to worry about utilizing cloud storage or risk losing that data to a cyber-security breach. After all, having the data stored in a physical area in your business is pretty secure and as long as your business have the right protection, it’s going to be safe.

If you’re concerned about your business’ cyber security, hire a freelance security engineer to perform a cyber-security audit to keep your business safe in 2019.

Other businesses use their networks and servers for much more complicated tasks. Some use multiple server racks for the sake of hosting services that are critical to their business, such as remote desktop applications. In some cases, businesses even use servers to render video and perform intensive computing tasks that are unique to their business.

Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that businesses rely heavily on their networks and servers and it’s vital that regular annual server maintenance is performed to keep them functioning. What exactly is the recommended period of time for maintenance? Why is it so important to keep them optimized?

Servers and Networks Need Annual Upkeep

If your servers and network infrastructure are vital to the operation of your business, then it’s key that you hire the right engineers to help you avoid disruptions in your service. Some of the most typical maintenance routines include:
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• Examining disk usage and optimizing usage
• Checking for critical operating system vulnerabilities that need to be updated and patched
• Looking for hardware errors by examining each individual piece
• Performing diagnostics on power supplies
• Examining network security and improving or tweaking it to suit the client’s needs
• Updating network security software and hardware
• Ensuring that regular backups are being performed to prevent total loss of data
• Upgrading any necessary components that are outdated or need to be updated

These are all very important components that lead to the successful and smooth operation of your business’s servers and networks. Failing to perform these routine maintenance checks at least once a year can lead to catastrophic hardware failures, total loss of data and even backup failures that lead to corrupted data.

There are countless issues that could arise, and in the case of network security breaches, can lead to business-destroying consequences that could ultimately ruin your reputation and lead to some serious fines that could put your company out of business permanently. It goes without saying that the importance of keeping your servers well-maintained should be one of your top priorities as a business owner or manager.

Businesses Need Preventative Maintenance

As with many problems in life, taking preventative measures is generally a best practice, especially if there’s a lot of important hardware and data on your network. This means that you should be looking at ways to prevent the loss of data, prevent computer viruses from infiltrating your system and stop any power supply errors from happening that could cause a huge loss of data.

An annual maintenance check for your network and servers will mean that you’re less likely to experience hardware failures. Routine checks will allow you to examine the situation of your hardware and it will pick up any potential errors or issues that could occur in the future. Those hardware pieces will be replaced with newer and more reliable hardware and this will ensure that you have more peace of mind that you can keep your business running smoothly.

Preventative measures are always going to be the best defence against hardware failures and server errors, but there are times when even the most comprehensive preventative measures will fail and something will break. Even though you might have backups ready and redundancy systems, you’re still going to need break-fix services to help you get back online at full efficiency.

Break-Fix Services as a Reactive Measure

This is where you need a reactive measure to act as a pair to go along with your preventative measures. You’re going to need fast response times from your engineers to ensure that the issue is fixed promptly, allowing your service to go back to normal and work optimally.

Unfortunately, hiring break-fix services can be very expensive especially if you’re in dire need of an engineer. Services tend to charge extra because they know you’re in desperate need of help and they might not be the most punctual or responsive services to rely on. You might even end up getting a technician that doesn’t really understand the problem or comes attached with a complicated service contract.

The alternative is to hire a local service, but this can be a mixed bag of surprises. There are many engineers that work illegally without licenses and they often don’t follow the right standards, resulting in poor-quality work that could end up damaging your network and servers further or putting your data at risk. It’s also not very flexible, meaning you’re essentially just getting a single one-off service and nothing else.

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The Advantage of FE Engineers

This is where FE Engineers can come in handy as a break-fix remedy.

Not only is FE faster and more responsive, but you also pay less because you’re only purchasing the service relevant to your needs. There’s no complicated service contract and there are few limitations and caveats. You can post the job that you want to be completed and our systems will match you with the perfect engineer in your area to offer a quick and prompt service to get your network and servers back online.

FE is flexible, affordable and much more reliable than typical outsourced engineering services that are slow and often frustrating to deal with. Whether it’s a UPS failure, a hard drive problem or viruses that have found their way into your system, our engineers are skilled individuals that can take care of your problem with ease.

Avoid issues through annual maintenance and ensure your business is always running smoothly by tapping into Field Engineer’s on-demand workforce. Sign-up to schedule your diagnostic assessment today!
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