Preparing A "New Year Computer Checklist" That's Healthy For Your Computer POS Systems

Sept. 10, 2009 - PRLog -- You'll sure be stating out the year right for your restaurant point of sale system if you follow these advices.

Let’s discuss some of the most common and critical mistakes that are made in regard to some very simple configuration aspects of the computer system. Some of these mistakes can cost restaurant owners hundreds or thousands of dollars in wasted time and money. And even worse... it can frustrate your customers and employees.

Whether you already have a computer system or you're going to configure a new one yourself -- you better make sure that everything is done properly for your own sake.

Please don't let me be guilty of giving you the wrong message. I do not always recommend configuring your own computer system! I recommend letting a professional do it for you. But I'm sure some of you will do it yourself no matter what I say. So this is for those that insist on doing your own computer installations and for everyone else to double check and make sure everything was done properly. This could help you avoid some major problems and save hours of precious time.

So here's your retail POS system configuration checklist for a Windows network:

1) Using a Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
One of the main causes of your electronic component failure is due to fluctuations in electricity (up and down). A good UPS can solve this problem by providing clean power. I would recommend getting a good UPS for your server. And it's a good idea to use them on all your workstations too.

2) Making Sure To Plug All Cables Into the UPS
All cables that powers your computer and network must be properly plugged into your UPS. You also need to check if the cables that are plugged into a surge protector or UPS are carrying the right amount of power. For example, the phone line for your modem can fry your computer if you do not plug it into a surge protector. So make sure your modem line, network cables, and power cords are all plugged in properly.

3) Passwords and Security
At the very least, I suggest locking down your server with a password on all Windows accounts so your employees and hackers have more difficulty messing with your server.

4) Install Anti-virus and Anti-Spyware Software and Configure For Automatic Updates
Make sure that all your security tools are configured to automatically update every day, so you don't forget.

5) Limit Internet Access
Employees that surf the internet can cause more problems than anything. Anti-virus and anti-spyware software does help but if an employee unwittingly downloads the wrong program or accepts the wrong message, it can cause some serious damage to your system. You can avoid this by disabling internet browsing on your computers. Or another option is to protect internet access with a password.

For a restaurant, this is very important! In order to protect secured files from the hands of the dirty minds, limiting employee internet access is a must. A retail business owner has to strictly implement rules to protect his business as well as his profit. Otherwise, what good will a restaurant POS system do if it's run by a misbehaved or ignorant personnel.

6) Configuring Your Back Up To Run Regularly
As well proven in many situations, it's best to configure your back up to run after hours automatically. But you still need to remember to change your back up media (like tapes) every day.

7) Test Your Backup By Restoring Files Once A Month
I have talked to dozens people who think they have a good back up plan for restoring damaged files. When they try to restore they find it didn't properly function. That's why you need to do a "real" test restore once a month to make sure it's working. By the way, you should restore to an alternate file location so you don't mess up your existing software.

So please, start checking your computer systems now and do the necessary updates, configurations and back ups.

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Got a Question?

If you would like to know more about this topic or have a question in mind, you may ask for advice with our Restaurant POS professional serving your area.

The author of this article is the Vice President of Customer Relations at http://www.pos-for-restaurants.com with over 20 years experience in the restaurant point of sale industry.

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