IT Disaster Prevention

4. Maintenance

4.1 Implement good computer hygiene procedures. You should regularly:

• Clean equipment.
• Run system utilities to 'clean' hard disks.
• Weed out or archive old files (eg temporary Internet files).
• Ensure your anti-virus software is kept up to date. For maximum protection check your system occasionally with different anti-virus software.

4.2 Update software or hardware, following a safe procedure.

• Software patches and updates are usually available from the manufacturer's website.

4.3 Routinely check system performance.

• Qualified personnel can run system diagnostic tools.
• Get employees to report any problems, and investigate them thoroughly. Apparently trivial problems may be an indication of more serious, underlying weaknesses in your system or procedures.