Take Inventory

• 1). Gather the receipts for all of your major hardware, electronic devices and software. You should include any business equipment that has been leased or has depreciated over several years and any personal appliances that have a high replacement cost. Collect the receipts and disks that were included with any software purchases. Be sure to include any software that you might have purchased on the Internet.
  
  
• 2). Set an anticipated replacement date for all of your hardware, electronic devices and software. You should assess your usage patterns as part of the process. For example, a lawyer's office is likely to use a photocopier at such a rate that it would require more frequent replacement than a personal copier. You should also assess the industry standards and norms in your field of interest as well as those of the software manufacturers as part of this process. For example, tax preparation companies often get new software every year; graphic designers often update to the latest versions of design software when the major manufacturers issue new releases.
  
  
• 3). Add the purchase dates to the calendar. Make note of the purchase dates for the major software, hardware and electronics purchases. Determine whether the items are still under warranty. You should take advantage of any free maintenance services that might be available under an existing warranty.
  
  
• 4). Check the fine print on your receipts as well as store websites for information on warranties and store service policies. You should have all of the hardware and equipment that is under warranty checked and serviced, if necessary.
  
  
• 5). Download updates for any software that is still under warranty or for which you currently have a user license.
  
  

Plan Ahead

• 1). Determine the specific maintenance tasks as they relate to each piece of hardware, electronic device and software program.
  
  
• 2). Categorize the maintenance tasks as daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. Perform this task for all of your hardware, electronics and software programs.
  
  
• 3). Choose a specific time and date to regularly perform your maintenance tasks and service. Be specific about the day, week, month, quarter and year.
  
  
• 4). Automate any software updates that can be automated, including back-ups to the hard drive, virus scans and installation of new versions.
  
  
• 5). Take note of any hardware maintenance that you are not qualified to perform or usually delegate to a professional party or vendor to perform. Add the anticipated dates of these professional and outside maintenance visits to your service schedule.