It’s an insanely busy day in the office with everyone called in to work extra hours just so you and your company can keep up with customer demands and all of a sudden… total server shutdown.
It’s a nightmare! Not only can you not get any work done, which means you’ll be behind and possibly lose clients, you’re paying extra for people to just sit around. If only you had a server maintenance plan, you might have been able to avoid this problem.
What is a server maintenance plan? At their most basic, these plans are kind of like warranties or insurance plans, but describing them that way doesn’t really do them justice. With a server maintenance plan, you can make sure that your network is always running optimally, that data won’t be lost, and that you won’t have to suffer through downtime and outages that aren’t scheduled.
But that’s not even the most important part. Some companies find it hard to make themselves pay for a service to prevent a problem that may or may not ever occur, and that’s understandable. But with something like a computer network, which is the lifeblood of many businesses these days, isn’t it worth paying $1 now to avoid paying $5 later and risk losing clients?
Here’s what you can expect from having a server maintenance plan.
Regular Data Backup
One of the biggest fears companies have is that they will lose all of their work and be unable to recover it. That means paying for something to get done twice, and possibly even having to justify to clients why they should stick with you even though you missed your deadline with them. Worst case scenario, you could lose something that can’t be replicated.
Server maintenance plans include regularly scheduled data backup based on your needs. Some companies might only back up their data once a month, while others need to do it every day. It all depends on the kind of work you do and how afraid you are of losing it.
Patch Installation
It’s an unfortunate truth that no network is completely safe, and almost every program is released with a few potential holes and problems. Most people have to keep an eye out themselves for issues, but server maintenance programs automatically install updates and patches to keep things running smoothly as well as regularly scanning for bugs and viruses that manage to get through so that they can be eliminated as quickly as possible.
Daily Monitoring
Sometimes no matter what you do, problems happen with your network. If you don’t have a server maintenance plan, this could turn into the shutdown described at the top and drastically affect your business, but with a plan you’ll have someone monitoring your network every day to prevent something like that from happening. Because they’re watching for problems as they arise, server maintenance companies can protect your business from errors, failures, and other things that can harm productivity.
“Free” Monthly Service Hours
Sometimes, even with a company keeping an eye on your network from afar, problems still occur that necessitate a technician dealing with the situation in person. Buy a plan from a server maintenance company and they will likely include a certain number of service hours each month as well as waiving things like call-out fees that go to cover travel and fuel costs for technicians. This may not seem like a big deal, but if you’ve ever dealt with a situation that required an on-site technician, you know that your costs can add up quickly.
Flexibility
Maybe your business is entirely online and you absolutely have to have your network up and running optimally 24/7. Chances are, you’re going to want a really comprehensive plan with constant updates and data backup. Okay, but what if your company just uses an internal network and mostly does things in an old-school manner? That’s fine, too.
Server maintenance companies understand that every business has different needs, and most are happy to offer plans that are completely customized. You tell them what you need and when you need it and they will come up with a price point for that level of service.
And, of course, the most important thing you’re missing if you don’t have a server maintenance plan is something it’s hard to put a price on: peace of mind.
About the Author
Patrick Del Rosario is part of the team behind Open Colleges. It is one of Australia’s pioneer and leading providers of web design courses and graphic design courses. When not working, Patrick enjoys blogging, travelling, and photography. Together with his father, Patrick also runs a photo studio in the Philippines If you have a blog and would like a free guest post, you can find him on Google+.