This is probably one of the  biggest and most costly misconceptions that many business owners have. Usually this is because they’ve been fortunate enough to never have encountered a major computer-related disaster, but that’s    similar to someone thinking they don’t need to wear a seat  belt when driving a car because they’ve never had an accident.

Computer networks are complex and dynamic systems that need regular updates and maintenance to stay up, running fast and problem-free. In fact, it’s surprising how fast a brand-new computer will slow down after a few weeks or months of use without proper updates and maintenance. Here are just a FEW of the critical updates that need to be done on a weekly – if not daily – basis:

• Security patches applied – with NEW viruses and   hacker attacks cropping up DAILY, this is a CRITICAL part of maintaining your network
• Antivirus updates and monitoring
• Firewall updates and monitoring
• Backup monitoring and test restores
• Spam-filter installation and updates
• Spyware detection and removal
• Monitoring disk space on workstations and servers
• Monitoring hardware for  signs of failure
• Optimizing systems for maximum speed

A computer is just like a car: if you don’t change the oil, replace the filter, rotate the tires, flush the transmission and perform other regular maintenance on your car, it will eventually break down and cost you FAR MORE to repair than the cost of the basic maintenance – and cars are far simpler than a computer network!