Computer maintenance costs are expensive and companies are always looking for ways to cut that cost. Yet many small to medium sized businesses make the mistake of being “penny wise and pound foolish” when it comes to maintaining their computer / network systems.

One approach is to hire “the boss’s kid” (or some other equally semi-qualified person) to fix the computers when they break. This avoids the high cost of hiring and properly training their own in-house IT staff.

The obvious advantages are:

• Hourly labor costs are reduced
• Part time position means you only pay for the time needed
• Windows networking is easy enough to figure out, so it is not too difficult for an inexperienced person to setup

The disadvantages are not so obvious:

• The maintenance tasks take longer because of inexperience
• The computers and network are not optimized causing the systems to run slower
• Malware runs undetected, causing the systems to run slower
• Slower systems cause a reduction in the productivity of company employees which costs the company money
• Security is either too restrictive – causing a loss of productivity, or more likely, it is too loose – leaving your data vulnerable to theft or corruption.
• Without professional monitoring and maintenance, problems are not corrected until the system is unusable, causing a loss in productivity until the system is repaired.
• Misdiagnosis can cause the company to unnecessarily replace a system, which increases expenses needlessly
• Old computers are usually not retired in a timely manner, causing the employees using them to loose productivity as he/she waits for the computer to complete a task.
• Fault tolerance and backup is typically lacking which places your data and business at risk.

Unified System, Inc. provides professional maintenance, monitoring, and support to keep your systems running optimally so your people can be as productive as possible. We can evaluate your computer environment and provide recommendations for keeping your data safe, secure, and available. For more information, call Unified System, Inc. at 781-276-4567.