After the COVID-19 shutdown, many Sturgeon Bay business owners will be walking into their office or retail location and firing up technology that’s been shut off and dormant for about 8-10 weeks.
Some may have already done it by the time they read this and have a downtime incident just waiting to happen if they didn’t prepare their IT properly for their reopening.
Why?
When computers, servers, and other electronics are dormant for several weeks, things can happen that require attention, computer cleaning, and servicing before they can be put back into operation.
While you may turn your IT on and not notice anything right away, there are several hidden dangers that can arise and cause unexpected downtime. Which is very inconvenient if you’ve only just celebrated your post-lockdown reopening.
These issues include:
- Dust and dirt inside electronics
- Wires, cords, electrical outlets damaged by pests
- Unapplied security patches
- Parts that need replacement
- Equipment moved for distancing by non-IT professionals
Save yourself a lot of heartache and additional costs by ensuring your IT equipment is ready for your reopening.
IT Prep Tips to Ensure a Successful Reopening
Being prepared can keep you from suffering more pandemic-related costs. Here are several tips for proper IT preparation before you reopen (or right now if you already have).
Have a Device Cleaning & Tune-Up
Something as small as a few grains of dust can cause a hard drive to completely fail and crash. Dust is not the friend of several other types of electronic equipment as well and can cause things like read errors and component damage.
You want to have all your electronic devices thoroughly cleaned, which includes removing any dust using compressed air.
The second step would be a tune-up, which Quantum PC can do at the same time as the cleaning. This includes a full hardware and software diagnostic to ensure no parts are about to fail and that your devices are ready to go back into full-time operation.
Check Technology & Power Components for Pest Damage
A half-chewed wire might not keep all your point of sale (POS) equipment from coming on like usual, but it’s a ticking time bomb that could lead to a fire or shock injury.
The pandemic not only changed life for us humans, it also changed it for pests like roaches and rodents. Sources of food in cities were eliminated and buildings previously full of activity were quiet and more inviting.
You will want to have all your technology and electrical components (like outlets) checked for any potential pest damage so it can be addressed right away before it causes a bigger problem.
Install Updates/Security Patches for All Equipment
From routers with firmware updates to computers with OS and software patches, there are most likely multiple updates waiting to be applied for all your equipment when you turn it back on.
Leaving these until “later” can leave you at serious risk of a data breach. One industry that has been booming during the pandemic is cybercrime. So, hackers are most likely just waiting for all those computers and devices to be turned back on after weeks of being shut off so they can exploit unpatched vulnerabilities.
The FBI saw a spike of up to 400% in cybercrime reports during the pandemic.
You can make this process much easier on your team by using Quantum Care Managed IT Services, which will automatically keep your devices updated and also includes multiple other cybersecurity and support services.
Work with a Professional for Technology Social Distancing
Because the coronavirus is still around, to reopen safely, businesses are ensuring they follow steps like keeping employees and customers at least 6 feet apart.
These distancing measures may mean that some of your equipment needs to be moved – computers, printers, customer-facing devices, etc. If you try doing this yourself, you could end up with poorly grounded connections, trip hazards, or equipment accidentally being disconnected from a network.
This is something that you want to work with a professional to accomplish. We can help you move technology where it needs to be safely and accommodate any plans to move it back in the future.
Disinfect Surfaces Without Hurting Your Tech
One last consideration for COVID-19 safety is the regular sanitizing of certain surfaces, like touch screens, keyboards, keypads, mice, etc.
Electronics disinfecting has to be done carefully, otherwise you could either leave virus contamination behind or clean your tech with the wrong things and harm it.
For example, we have it on good authority that wiping your chip-enabled debit or credit card with hand sanitizer will eventually cause it to stop working.
Schedule a professional that knows how to properly sanitize electronics to keep your equipment touch surfaces disinfected on a regular basis.
Quantum PC is Here to Help with All Your Reopening Needs!
Our team of experts can take the technology prep off your hands so you can focus on other aspects of your business reopening.
Contact us today to schedule your IT reopening service. Call 920-256-1214 or reach us online.
