As 2024 comes to a close and our collective thoughts turn to something other than the proverbial office, Its worth sparing a thought for your poor IT Equipment… All alone in the office on Christmas.
In order to avoid a potential temper tantrum from the almighty silicon box upon your return, it’s worth taking some time and showing your systems some love so they don’t feel quite so lonely over the holiday period.
The list below should help get you started, but every business and situation will be different and checks will need to be added to or modified according to your environment.
Check the ACR server:
- Inspect the front of the server for any error lights. If any amber or red error lights are illuminated, contact support immediately: 02 4725 2020.
- Check ventilation. A server requires good airflow to perform and cool as expected. If the airflow is restricted to a server it can work unnecessarily hard to cool itself and put the server at risk of sudden shutdown or reboot if core temperatures hit thresholds.
- Vacuum any loose dust from the front of the server VERY CAREFULLY to ensure the server can efficiently cool during high load.
- Label the server. Make sure the ACR server is clearly labelled so anyone unfamiliar with its appearance can easily be guided through troubleshooting with our support. This can help reduce time wasted trying to identify where to look if an issue arises!
- Overall server appearance or operation. If something doesn’t look, sound or perform right and you are not sure, call us! We enjoy a little chat so what’s to lose?
Inspect backup media:
- Your backup media (USB hard drives usually) should be handled with extreme care which we know you all do. A backup is worth the whole business’ survival in times of last resort! Avoiding high temperatures like the car dashboard in summer and rapid journeys to hard surfaces like the floor, your backup media should be fairly safe.
- Signs of damage and wear. If a hard drive is looking a bit dented, worn or looking a bit tatty, this might be a good indicator of a high risk of failure. Damaged disks should be replaced before they have the chance to fail.
- Don’t leave all backups on-site at the same time. You should have multiple backup media and at least one copy should be kept off-site. Pro tip: A car’s glove-box subject to extreme heat is not ideal.
- Accidents happen. If your hard disk has been damaged, don’t stress! The best action is to explain what happened to support so we can check the hard drive for errors. Even if no errors are found we may recommend considering a replacement.
Other Computer equipment and POS systems
- Make sure they’re up-to-date and malware scanned. This should be performed at least weekly and if your software allows it, schedule automatic updates and scanning and check it’s functioning regularly. For assistance with setting this up, it’s best to speak to your IT service provider.
- Check cabling and networking equipment for damage, error lights, or unusual noises. If you have any concerns with this equipment, speak to whoever Manages/Administers your network.
- This is also an ideal time to review your Disaster recovery (DR) strategy, and your network documentation as a whole. Systems change over time, hardware is replaced, and passwords change. It’s worth taking the time to make sure your DR plan is bulletproof incase the worst happens in 2025.
- It’s also a good time to make sure the systems that your systems rely on are working correctly. This could include UPS tests, air conditioner maintenance, generator maintenance, or any number of other routines depending on your environment.
Hopefully this list will get you started and help ensure that 2025 starts without any major issues.
On behalf of the ACR Tech team we wish all our customers and their families a happy, safe and prosperous new year in 2025!