Things that should be regularly happening on your network but may not be included
| TASK |
DESCRIPTION |
THE IMPACT OF NOT DOING IT |
| 1. Backups of critical data |
Using some reliable backup system to ensure data cannot be lost |
Information vital to your organization’s survival could be lost forever. |
| 2. Cleaning out of temporary files. |
These files build up over time, eating up hard drive space and possibly housing malware on your system. |
System could run slowly or be compromised. |
| 3. Virus updates |
New viruses come out every day. Antivirus companies hire software professionals to update their virus definitions hourly in order to keep up. Your system needs to download these updates on an ongoing basis in order to be well protected. |
Even though you have antivirus, if it isn’t being updated, it may be useless in defeating the latest threats. |
| 4. Virus scans |
A virus scan is a task performed by your antivirus software. The program will go through your entire computer looking for any files, programs or processes that look suspicious and eliminate them. |
Without scans, there may be viruses lurking on your hard drive that will run at a pre-programmed time or event. Eliminate them before they are executed. |
| 5. Disk Maintenance |
Data on your disk can get very fragmented, disorganized or even lost affecting machine performance. |
Running disk maintenance tools on a regular basis can prevent loss of data or functionality of your computer. |
| 6. Event log audit |
Every Windows computer is constantly logging events that are happening in the machine. If no one checks them, there may be problems being reported but nothing done about them. |
Problems that could have been prevented may appear. Without an IT professional checking your event logs, your system may be vulnerable to preventable problems. |
| 7. Hardware audit |
As software and operating systems are updated or upgraded, the hardware needs change as well. |
A hardware audit will reveal if your computer is up to the challenge of running today’s software and operating systems smoothly. |
| 8. Software audit |
Over time, your computer can become bloated with unnecessary or even unlicensed software. |
These programs can consume disk space and even other computer resources that affect machine performance. |
| 9. Security audit |
Auditing security will reveal whether adequate steps are being taken to protect your data, computer and even your identity. |
An unsecure machine could be comprised and exploited by hackers, viruses and other malware leaving you and your identity vulnerable to compromise. |
| 10. Physical cleanup |
All computers generate damaging heat when they run. You may notice the sounds of fans running when you turn your computer on. If airways, heat sinks and fans are covered or clogged with dust and debris, adequate cooling cannot occur. |
If computer components get hot enough they will fail and need to be replaced. This will often mean replacement of the entire computer. |
| 10. Physical cleanup |
All computers generate damaging heat when they run. You may notice the sounds of fans running when you turn your computer on. If airways, heat sinks and fans are covered or clogged with dust and debris, adequate cooling cannot occur. |
If computer components get hot enough they will fail and need to be replaced. This will often mean replacement of the entire computer. |
| 11. Windows patching |
Microsoft regularly identifies bugs, vulnerabilities and other issues that need to be addressed in their software. The will routinely put out updates, patches and other fixes. |
If these are not installed or installed incorrectly, the system could run poorly or even not run at all anymore (less common). |
