Making an investment in IT equipment for the office can be quite expensive. You need the proper hardware and software to operate the business smoothly, but it’s not the kind of expense you want to swallow regularly. This is why it’s so important to take steps that help extend the lifespan of IT equipment, ensuring it runs as long as possible before replacement is necessary.
Convinced you’re already doing enough in this category? Check out these tips on how to extend the lifespan of IT equipment and see if there’s anything you are overlooking.
Don’t Allow Dust and Dirt to Build Up
Keeping IT equipment clean is another really simple tip that delivers impactful results. Allowing dust and dirt to build up means it can reach the insides of the equipment and start to affect its capabilities. Not only do these devices need to be kept clean but the right tools and cleaning products should be used. For offices that have issues with spills (drinks and food), you may need to go so far as to institute a no food or drinks near the computer equipment rule.
If you use a professional office cleaning service, speak to them about their process in terms of cleaning computer equipment. Make sure what’s being done is appropriate. You may need to increase the cleaning frequency if the current schedule isn’t adequate.
Turn Off Machines at the End of the Day
Sure, it’s tempting for employees to put their computers, laptops, printers and other IT equipment into rest mode when they leave for the day, but this isn’t great for the machinery. Get into the habit of shutting things down. Even in sleep mode, the items still generate some heat and over time, this can shorten their lifespan. There’s also the energy savings that will result, which is a cost saving.
This also means a little employee training is necessary, discussing the importance of shutting down equipment.
Don’t Put Off Repairs
While it can be tempting to put off minor repairs, the problem with this approach is that they can quickly spiral into bigger repairs and spark new issues. To keep the cost of repairs lower and to extend the lifespan of the equipment, repairs need to be done as soon as possible and by a trained professional.
Rely on Managed IT Services
All these steps mentioned will extend the lifespan of your IT equipment, but they can also be time-consuming to perform. It’s also hard to keep track of when you last performed preventative maintenance and updates on each computer throughout the office. This makes for a convincing argument in favour of professional IT services.
Outsourcing your IT services means a dedicated professional will be in charge of managing the IT networks and equipment, making sure everything stays on schedule and in good operating condition. Ongoing monitoring is one of the biggest benefits of outsourcing your IT service needs.
Get All You Possibly Can Out of the Equipment
These tips will help to extend the lifespan of office IT equipment, thereby cutting down on costs and the rate of repairs and replacement.