Memorial Day is the unofficial start of the summer season. Before the temperature hits the summer time high, you may want to take a few moments to go over this POS system maintenance checklist to
make sure your POS system is ready to handle the
summer holiday rushes and the summer heat.
UPS, especially the battery backup side of the UPS, is
critical to keep your POS system running smoothly. During summer seasons, power consumption is
at its highest, increasing the chance of power interruption in the form of blackout
or brownout. Blackouts are easier to
detect but brownouts may not be easily felt.
Power fluctuation could also cause power surges. Any one of these power outage scenarios could
damage your POS system, or any electronic devices that are not protected by a
surge protector or UPS. If you have a
UPS and do not remember when it was installed or replaced, you should replace
them. You don’t want to wait until any
part of your POS system sustains damage before you install or replace your UPS.
Your POS system is equipped with backup devices and
media. There may be automatic file
backups but there is always a removable backup device and media in the form of
external hard drives or DVD discs. This
should be your daily or weekly routine to make sure your system is backed up to
the removable media, and the removable media is swapped out regularly. This will allow for the quickest way to
restore your system after a hard drive replacement. Don’t learn the hard way, make having a
removable backup part of your operational routine, just like counting cashiers
and running reports.
All electronic equipment will have vents for cooling; make
sure your POS equipment has room for cooling.
Look at the vents and make sure the vents are clear of dust and are not
blocked. Although your IBM POS systems
are designed to withstand the toughest conditions in the retail environment, it
is still a good practice to help keep your system running at peak performance.
These are just some of the regular maintenance practices
that you should do to better prevent any system down time. Your POS system is the mission critical part
of your operation. It pays to follow
simple maintenance practices to ensure you and your POS systems have a great
summer. Contact an STCR Representative
to discuss how the latest in retail hardened technology is achieving extended
system life.
