As Brisbane business owners plan for a post lockdown reopening of their places of business after a long COVID-19 shutdown, there are several preparations they need to make.
For example, there are new safe work principals to follow which include social distancing of 1.5 metres. Dormant technology is another consideration. When equipment has been sitting idle, and in many cases shut off, for roughly 8-10 weeks, it needs to be properly serviced before being put back into operation. One thing that the pandemic has made clear is the importance of preparing for the unexpected to ensure business continuity. At the beginning of 2020, no one expected they would have to quickly transition to an all remote workforce and close their office for months.
Properly preparing to go back to your office or retail location is just as important so you reduce the risk of shutdown again, but this time due to something like a data breach or hard drive crash.51% of surveyed companies from around the world had no plans on how to address long-term downtime prior to the pandemic.
What can happen to technology when it’s dormant for several weeks?
Anytime equipment has been shut off for multiple weeks, there are things that can occur and if unaddressed can cause equipment failure or worse. These include:
- Dust collecting on and inside computers and other equipment
- Rodent or pest damage to electrical cords or components
- Security patches for operating systems, software, and firmware being issued, but not downloaded or applied
- Parts failures once long idle equipment goes back into full-time operation
To reopen safely and efficiently, it’s important to properly prepare your technology infrastructure.
Tips for a Smart Technology Post Lockdown Reopening
You should put just as much attention into ensuring your computers, server, point-of-sale (POS) devices, and other IT is ready to go as you do into things like sanitizing surfaces and distancing customers and employees.
Here are several tips for handing your technology prior to reopening that will help everything go smoothly and ensure you’re up and running safely.
Distance Your Workstations & Customer-Facing Tech
According to Safe Work Australia, businesses have to ensure a physical distancing of at least 1.5 meters between people. This may mean moving your employee workstations, printers, customer-facing tech (like payment areas), etc.
Before you turn on your technology, move it where it needs to be to ensure distancing guidelines are met. It’s smart to get help from a technology professional so you don’t accidentally disconnect equipment from your network or leave cords exposed that could be unsafe.
Check Your ISP & Other Utilities
Imagine opening your office, flipping on your modem, router, and computers, and getting no internet connection. You might spend hours trying to figure out what’s wrong with your equipment, when it’s actually a service issue.
One of the first things you should do when walking back into your place of business is check that all your utilities are on and working, including your internet connection.
Have Technology Serviced & Dusted
Dust is an enemy of technology components like hard drives and fans. Just a few dust particles that get on the head of a hard disk can cause a crash, leaving you with downtime and potential data loss.
Before firing up all your equipment, have it serviced by an IT technician. We’ll do several things during this reopening servicing to ensure your tech is in good shape to support your operations. These include:
- Using compressed air to thoroughly dust all your equipment
- Checking all cords and components to ensure there is no pest damage (chewed cords, etc.)
- Testing parts to make sure they’re working properly
Update All Equipment with Security Patches/Updates
Most likely your technology has several updates and patches that have been released during the time your equipment was shut down. It’s vital that these are applied before putting your tech back into operation.
Otherwise, you could end up suffering a data breach shortly after reopening due an unpatched system vulnerability being exploited.
If you’re having an IT professional service your technology, this is something they can do at the same time.
Updates to be aware of are:
- Operating system updates
- Software updates
- Firmware updates
Be sure to update things like routers, POS devices, and other IoT equipment as well as computers and servers.
Schedule Regular Equipment Disinfecting
There are multiple tech surfaces that are touched throughout the day, these include keypads, keyboards, mice, touch screens, and more. Include your electronics in with your regular surface disinfecting schedule to prevent potential virus transmission.
Just be aware of the precautions to take when disinfecting technology, which include not using bleach or water, using microfiber cloths/wands, and using a cleaning solution or wipe with at least 70% isopropyl alcohol.
Schedule Your Reopening Tech Service Today!
Connected Platforms offers IT support Brisbane wide and can help ensure your technology is properly prepared and ready to go for a post lockdown reopening. Don’t leave things to chance, we’ll help you reopen successfully!
Contact us today for a free reopening consultation. Call (07) 3062 6932 or book a coffee meeting online.
