Tips to Keep Your Computer Running Efficiently

Tips to Help Your Computers' Health

There are always sets of best practices for keeping a business running to the best of its ability. There are ways to maximize profit, ways to lower overhead and even ways to decorate the office that promotes a feeling of happiness in the staff. The same should be true for computers and computer equipment.

While there is such a thing as Feng Shui for the office, there needs to be such services for the computers. A small to large size company should think of the computers and computer equipment in the office as another employee or set of employees.

Temperature

Seventy three degrees is the happy home for a computer system. Many companies have a server room that is closely monitored for temperature and humidity. This is because it is vitally important that the server equipment be kept in the highest level of efficiency.

The same is true for all computer equipment. If it is inconvenient to keep the office at seventy three degrees, there are still some ways to keep a computer cool. Avoid excessive clutter on desk around the computers. Have employees keep the computer area clear. Over time personal items, like photos and things can build up on desks. Be sure that the employees keep the back of the computer systems clear and cool.

Efficient Networking

A lot of small businesses spent a month or two deciphering how to network the office. They may have even had a company set things up for them. Over the past few years, networking options have expanded and changed a great deal. Cloud services and the changes to server systems since 2010 have made a lot more options available. Have server repairs done as soon as you suspect a problem. This often protects equipment from excessive repairs down the line.

Side Note

There was a major software computer that everyone knows that used a single printer on a rolling cart in the 1980’s. In the beginning, they could not afford more than one printer, so it stayed on a cart and was rolled to the computer system that needed it at the moment. Today this company sells more server software than any other company on earth.

Choose the Right Path

Many home computer owners shut their computer off at night to save power. This may or may not work depending on the way that they use their computer. Many times it takes more power to start a system than to let it sit in standby all night long.

Small offices and even larger ones do not shut the computers down at night. It creates too much of a power drain in the morning when 10-500 systems all get powered on. This is even truer when all of those systems start to connect to a central server for files and logons.

Personal Business

Try to keep employees personal computer business to a minimum. One of the biggest reasons for computer repairs come from employees running personal programs and downloading from the Internet. There is a great number of software programs that can monitor and block Internet traffic of employees. There is a fine balance between employee satisfaction and becoming a gateway for Facebook and YouTube.

Many companies set up a computer or two in the break room so that employees can take care of personal business. This is not to mention the fact that most people have a mobile phone that can do nearly everything a computer can do. A lot of the personal sites that people like to visit are resource hogs and take up twice as much power as the company websites.

Update IT Services

Many businesses set up their own systems and services when they opened their doors and have not touched the system ever since. This makes sense because the setup was most likely near their level of expertise and no one wants to go through that twice.

These days there are IT services that work both on demand and off-site. There may no longer be a need to have a full time IT professional, for just an occasional change that could be made. Third party IT services can come in and put everything in order and then monitor everything from off-site. Any services that are needed can be handled and then further monitored.

This saves money and can even help generate revenue through additional services that the business was not even aware existed. As businesses expand into the future, there is more and more need for professional services and this is also a great way to help keep computers efficient.

Constant Education

Everything is changing so quickly that the best way to keep everything in order is education. The Internet is filled with information and new ways of doing the same old things. New equipment is coming out every day that uses less power and does more.

There are monitoring systems that can alert management via phone, email or text when a system is running in a less than efficient manner. There are better ways to keep systems cool and running well.

There are even systems that can adjust the RAM usage and programs running on the entire network without needing any outside assistance. These can all be set up and run for a fraction of the cost that such technologies used to cost.

Conclusion

In the end, the least efficient part of any computer network is the human factor. People are notorious for not caring about the welfare of the company that they work for. They are also famous for not thinking actions through.

Employees will set drinks on expensive equipment, they will block the cooling fans on computers, and they will do things that no one can imagine until they have done them. Setting clear rules about desk areas and any areas where computer equipment is used is essential.

A little education also goes a long way for the employees. Teaching them to take care of the office equipment will help the office and may even help them in their homes. Starting with a good foundation will help any and every company save money and make computers last longer. This makes for a brighter future for the company and sometimes even the world.

Dominick Rivoli is the owner of A1 Rivoli, top office equipment and computer service and repair specialists for the Long Island, NY Nassau, and Western Suffolk areas. Visit the website at www.a1rivoli.com.