How Can You Prepare Your Smart Office Systems for Year-End Downtime and Maintenance?

For many companies, the last few weeks of December bring a much-needed slowdown. Meetings pause, offices get quieter, and teams wrap up loose ends. It’s also one of the best times to review, test, and fine-tune your office technology without interrupting daily operations. At i.e.Smart Systems, we encourage our clients to take advantage of this window to handle preventative maintenance, update systems, and prepare for a clean start in the new year.

Why End-of-Year Is Ideal for Infrastructure Maintenance

During peak periods, it’s difficult to schedule system downtime or reconfiguration without disrupting workflow. But in late December, foot traffic is low and meeting rooms go unused. This creates a natural opportunity to check performance across your AV, access control, and structured cabling systems. We often see small issues left unaddressed during the year — things like dropped network connections, inconsistent badge reader performance, or aging cabling that hasn’t been inspected in years.

The longer these problems are ignored, the more likely they are to create unexpected downtime. According to Baker Hughes, unplanned downtime costs industrial businesses an estimated $50 billion each year (Baker Hughes). While that figure reflects large-scale operations, the same principle applies to offices that rely on AV, access control, and network systems to function efficiently. Proactive maintenance during slower periods helps reduce that risk and keeps your systems working when they’re needed most.

What to Include in Your End-of-Year Technology Checklist

As you approach year-end, we recommend running through a system health checklist that covers:

• AV Equipment: Test displays, cameras, microphones, and control panels. Replace damaged cables, recalibrate as needed, and check firmware versions for critical updates.
• Access Control: Confirm that badge systems are still aligned with staff roles. Remove access for former employees and test door hardware. Ensure logs are backed up and systems are updated.
• Structured Cabling: Visually inspect server closets, IDF rooms, and exposed ports. Check for signs of wear or improper terminations that may impact performance.
• Room Scheduling and Digital Displays: Confirm software versions are current, scheduling integrations are working, and interfaces are responsive.
• Power and Battery Backups: Test UPS devices and backup batteries for key systems like access control and network equipment.

You can also use this time to review your user permissions, clean up digital configurations, and organize cabling or rack layouts that may have been rushed during the year.

How i.e.Smart Systems Supports Preventative Maintenance

At i.e.Smart Systems, we help clients prepare their technology for long-term performance, not just installation day. Our service team works with your IT and facilities staff to perform end-of-year maintenance and make sure your systems are ready for the demands of the new year. Whether it’s auditing AV setups, evaluating your network closets, or testing access control hardware, we help you identify and resolve issues before they create larger problems.

We also offer service plans and on-demand support that make it easy to schedule this kind of work during downtime. No guesswork, no disruptions — just clean, well-maintained systems that will keep working when your teams return in January. If you want to start 2026 without last year’s problems hanging over your head, now is the time to act.

i.e.Smart Systems is a Houston, TX based technology integration partner that specializes in design and installation of audio/visual technology and structured cabling. For more than three decades, our team of in-house experts has partnered with business owners, architectural firms, general contractors, construction managers, real estate developers, and designers in the Houston market, to deliver reliable, scalable solutions that align with their unique goals.