Do you believe IT equipment should have a maintenance plan, or should the owner just wait until it breaks?

Yes and no, it really depends on the type of gear and if its mission critical or not. Let’s review a few types of hardware and answer with more specifics.

Servers:

Absolutely. Obtain NBD service directly from the manufacturer when purchasing., opt for the longest term they have available., 5 years is the average lifespan of mid to high end servers. For entry level servers, a 3 year term is more reasonable.

Network gear:

Most routers and switches will come with a 1-year warranty. Meraki for example will offer hardware replacement as long as you maintain your security services. For small business gear, the cost of warranty exceeds the risk. For higher end switches in the thousands, this makes more sense.

Workstations / Laptops:

We advise that all new systems be ordered with the 3 year NBD depot warranty option for any business user. Having techs come to you vs you having to shop your unit off waiting weeks is always smarter. The average laptop or desktop will last about 3 years when choosing mid to high end gear.

Monitors and Accessories:

We skip these options as we have seen very few monitor failures due to manufacture defects over the last decade. If there is a problem, it will usually manifest in the first year. Stay away from the cheap brands and pay a little more for quality to avoid any issues.