Did you know that over 80 percent of companies in the United States use preventative maintenance when it comes to their maintenance plan for IT services? IT maintenance is crucial for keeping the systems your business uses running at optimal and efficient levels.
But what goes into IT maintenance? What can an IT preventative maintenance plan do for you and your business? What are all of the types of maintenance available when it comes to information technology? Those are all great questions.
The good news is that you’ve come to the right place to find the answers you seek. Continue reading to learn more about the different types of IT maintenance and which is best for your company.
What Is IT Maintenance?
It is a wise move for each and every company to be proactive and on top of their IT maintenance. IT maintenance consists of uninstalling apps that aren’t wanted or used and deleting any redundant files. It also involves backing up old files and programs that are vital to operations. This keeps them safe even if something should go wrong.
Putting off your maintenance plan won’t have immediate negative ramifications. Unfortunately, the longer the maintenance is put off the more difficult it will be to fix everything. The main problems you’ll run into are a shortage of storage space on your company’s devices. You’ll also see a slowdown in the operating systems you use.
Slow systems are frustrating for your employees and they hamper efficiency. It is for these reasons that you should make global IT maintenance a high priority for your business.
Read next: Eco-friendly Technologies for Building Eco-friendly Houses
Types of IT Maintenance
There are multiple approaches that you can take with your business’s IT maintenance plan. Most businesses prefer preventative maintenance. There are definite benefits to choosing predictive and corrective IT maintenance as well. Here is a closer look at each type of IT maintenance and the benefits of each.
Preventative Maintenance
The most popular choice for businesses when it comes to picking their maintenance plan is preventative IT maintenance. Preventative maintenance involves performing regular maintenance on the hardware and equipment. This keeps it from slowing down or failing. It is done while the equipment still works as a way to keep it in top condition.
Preventative maintenance is popular because it reduces the number of repairs that you’ll need. It also decreases the amount of downtime that your employees experience.
There are two different things that determine how preventative maintenance is conducted. The first way is time-based preventative maintenance. This maintenance plan involves using a routine to upgraded systems and programs. As new systems come out, the IT specialist will remove the old version and replace it with the new one.
The other option is usage-based preventative maintenance. Usage-based maintenance is triggered after a certain amount of hours are spent using a piece of equipment or a program on the computer. A good example is projectors. They usually have an operational life of 2,000 hours and after that, they begin to fail.
Other tasks that an IT specialist will undertake with preventative maintenance are freeing up memory on your business’s devices and computers. They’ll also create file backups and run anti-virus software on your equipment.
Predictive Maintenance
Another form of IT maintenance is predictive maintenance. Predictive maintenance uses data acquired through data analysis software. This acts as a way to find patterns and irregularities. Finding these irregularities helps to keep the equipment working at a high level. This is the case until they reach a point where they’re not fixable any longer.
Predictive maintenance focuses on data collected through live equipment statuses. This also helps with performance tracking. It is a great choice for businesses that use a lot of computers for their operation. This is due to the high level of efficiency it provides when it comes to monitoring the health and status of the computers.
Predictive maintenance differs from preventative maintenance. Predictive maintenance doesn’t help the repairs or maintenance needed until the equipment is on the verge of failing. This is a good approach if you’re looking to save time and money on the maintenance of your equipment.
The primary goal of predictive maintenance is to figure out when the best time is for required maintenance on the programs and equipment. This makes maintenance as inexpensive as possible while increasing reliability.
Corrective Maintenance
Corrective maintenance is different from preventative and predictive maintenance. It involves performing the maintenance and repairs only after the equipment or software fails. The goal of corrective maintenance is to wait until the equipment fails and then return it to pristine condition once that happens.
When a computer fails, the IT specialist takes measures to return it to working condition. They replace the broken parts and making fixes to the operating system the computer uses. This approach is favored by companies that want to save time and money since doing nothing costs less money than doing any type of maintenance.
While corrective maintenance will save you money in the short term, it is a short-sighted approach to IT maintenance. It is not sustainable to rely on your IT maintenance technicians to fix everything that breaks after it finally fails.
There is no way to predict when the equipment will fail. Your IT technicians will be kept busy with corrective maintenance for your computers and equipment.
Read next: Best Sites To Kill Time Watching Cool Videos On the Internet
Now You Understand IT Maintenance
IT maintenance is a vital piece in keeping your business running at an optimal and efficient level. It helps to keep your equipment running smoothly and saves you money on costly repairs. There are multiple approaches that your business can take when it comes to IT maintenance. It is up to you to determine which maintenance plan best fits your company’s needs.
For more helpful and informative articles on a wide range of topics, be sure to check out more of our website today!
