Computer Troubleshooters Shares Five Tips for Minimizing Downtime

October 27, 2006; 09:40 AM
Computers fuel countless organizations’ operations. Businesses have become so dependent upon computers, e-mail, Internet access and data networks that even a single day of downtime can spell disaster. Fortunately, many outages and failures can be avoided.

Computer Troubleshooters – whose franchisees provide a full range of computer and technology solutions to small-business owners and home office workers worldwide – has identified five best practices businesses can adopt to minimize downtime. These five factors are based on the collective knowledge and field experiences of its 460 franchisees worldwide and were identified as part of Computer Troubleshooters’ research into developing its new Business Enhanced Support Technology (B.E.S.T.) service plans and industry-leading no-downtime guarantee.

The five tips businesses can implement to minimize downtime are as follows:

1. Replace desktop computers every 36 months. Using computers beyond thirty-six months increases the likelihood of failure without warning, as hard disks, power supplies, motherboards and other critical components are more likely to malfunction and fail the longer they’ve been in use.

2. Install and regularly update proven antivirus and antispyware software on all computers. Viruses and spyware frequently render systems inoperable or slow and are a primary cause of error messages and system problems. An effective defense strategy using recommended antivirus and antispyware programs will keep systems running optimally.

3. Use quality surge protectors on all systems and uninterruptible power supplies for servers or other critical components. Electrical fluctuations, surges, spikes and lightning strikes all can damage sensitive computer components and cause system problems or lost data. Using good quality electrical protection components, replaced every 24-36 months, will minimize these problems.

4. Ensure cooling fans are clean and functioning properly. Today’s computers build up tremendous amounts of heat, so having functioning internal and external cooling fans is essential. Fans should be checked and cleaned regularly to be sure they’re working.

5. Organize software carefully. A leading source of recovery delays is an inability to locate software CDs and licenses. Store original installation media (downloaded programs, CDs and DVDs) in a safe, readily accessible location. In addition, ensure required subscription, service plan, contract and licensing information is stored with the corresponding media.

“Our Troubleshooters have found these five factors to be the most frequent offenders,” said Computer Troubleshooters USA National Director Chip Reaves. “They’re often the source of costly failures. Fortunately, these are five steps almost every organization can take fairly easily.”

Computer Troubleshooters’ B.E.S.T. service plan subscribers receive assurance these five best practices, as well as a host of others, are implemented and maintained. Designed to proactively monitor customer networks and prevent outages through best practices and automated alerting, the new B.E.S.T. services provide business operators with a choice of economical service options, including the industry’s first no-downtime guarantee.

“There’s nothing more frustrating than a computer system or network that’s down, both for the customer and for their technician.” added Reaves. “That’s why we developed our B.E.S.T. program and encourage clients to follow these five practices that help prevent problems from happening in the first place.”

For more information on minimizing downtime, visit http://www.computertroubleshooters.com/ or call 1-866-445-8986. Computer Troubleshooters will put their B.E.S.T. people on it.

About Computer Troubleshooters. Computer Troubleshooters provides a full range of computer and technology solutions to small-business owners and private home users. Computer Troubleshooters specialists are fully trained and are experts at diagnosing a broad range of computer and technology challenges.

Launched in 1999, Computer Troubleshooters now has more than 460 franchises worldwide, including more than 260 in the United States and Canada and the remainder spanning 21 countries, including Egypt, Greece, Romania, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, Spain and Australia, where the company was founded by Wilson and Suzanne McOrist.

Computer Troubleshooters USA was named the top tech support business franchise company in 2005 by Entrepreneur magazine in its annual Franchise 500 rankings.

In October 2005, Franchise Times magazine named Computer Troubleshooters one of its top “Up and Comers,” ranking it #255.