How to Establish a Recurring IT Maintenance Day for MSP Clients

Regular IT maintenance windows are crucial to MSP operations, as they ensure that moving parts, such as patch updates and infrastructure, remain in good condition.

This guide discusses creating a recurring maintenance schedule with clients using PSA tools, automation scripts, and NinjaOne.

Creating an IT support framework for maintenance days

Before you begin automating your maintenance days, you need to have a well-established schedule with your clients. This section discusses how MSPs can streamline their maintenance process across multiple clients.

Step 1: Define the scope and timing of recurring maintenance

Maintain consistency by having a schedule of when maintenance occurs and make sure to communicate this clearly to your clients. This is important to build (and meet) client expectations, minimize downtime, and maximize service quality.

Best practices include:

• Picking a repeatable cadence: Essentially, this means providing maintenance at the same time consistently.
• Deciding on the length of the maintenance period: Depending on client sensitivity and workload, you need to choose whether you’ll conduct overnight or business-hour windows maintenance.
• Identifying and grouping clients with similar needs: Grouping clients based on SLA or time zones can help MSPs work efficiently. This is especially helpful if you already have a huge client base.

Step 2: Identify maintenance task categories

Understand what services or tasks are being provided during a maintenance period. Generally, maintenance task categories include:

• System Health Checks: Disk usage, memory thresholds, hardware warnings
• Patch Management: OS and third-party software updates
• Backup Verification: Confirm backup job completion and test restores
• Security Scans: Run EDR/AV scans or vulnerability checks
• Asset Cleanup: Remove stale temp files, browser clutter, unused agents
• Network Device Review: Monitor switch/router health and firmware status

Step 3: Map responsibilities and set automations

Once regular maintenance tasks have been set, technicians should be assigned recurring tickets. Additionally, assigning a Maintenance Lead role can help with escalation cases and report consolidation.

💡 Tip: You can also opt to automate tasks such as patch updates via PowerShell, Group Policies, or Task Scheduler.

Sample PowerShell script: Scheduled patch application

$clients = Import-Csv "Clients.csv"
foreach ($client in $clients) {
Invoke-Command -ComputerName $client.Name -ScriptBlock {
Install-WindowsUpdate -AcceptAll -AutoReboot
}
}

Other automation use cases for GPO and Task Scheduler

(A) For GPO

You can use Group Policies to:

• Force log off before maintenance
• Disable non-critical services
• Set maintenance windows for Windows Update

(B) For Task Scheduler

During maintenance days, trigger log rotation or backup scripts at set times using built-in Windows Task Scheduler or RMM agent integrations.

Additional tips and considerations for IT maintenance operations

IT maintenance checklists for easier client communication

Aside from having a set schedule, regularly sending out reminders and updates to your clients before and after maintenance can help foster trust and maintain transparency.

Here are some best practices when sending out reminders for regular maintenance:

• Send out reminders at least 72 hours before maintenance.
• Always include the time (and time zone) of the maintenance, the expected impact on your client’s operations (if any), and a point of contact during the maintenance window.

💡 Tip: Once the window is over, update your clients with a live status page or a log update.

Hybrid execution strategies

Some clients require MSPs to visit their on-site premises for proper maintenance. Having a strategy for these clients can be beneficial, especially if you’re handling quite a few hybrid types.

Good practices for hybrid execution strategies include:

• Performing remote maintenance for software tasks
• Scheduling physical visits quarterly (or as discussed) for:
  • Firmware updates
  • Device dusting/cleaning
  • Visual inspection
  • Server room temperature check
• Maximizing time on-site by scheduling appointments for multi-client visits

What comes next? Reporting and follow-ups

A post-maintenance report helps clients understand what occurred during the maintenance window. This report may look different for each organization and its clients. This section provides a quick overview of what you can add to your reports.

Client emails

Emails are the most common mode of communication between MSPs and their clients. A clear report or follow-up email post-maintenance provides clients with a quick view of the maintenance work done. A post-maintenance email should include a summary of completed tasks and a list of pending items.

💡 Tip: If you want to be more thorough, you can also add before-and-after screenshots, especially if major changes occurred.

Dashboard

A live dashboard provides updates in a consolidated console, allowing clients to have access to relevant data easily. In your dashboard, you can include:

• Maintenance success rate
• Failed patch counts
• Backup verification status
• Device reboots pending

You can also add other information that your clients usually want to know.

Integrating NinjaOne in your IT maintenance

MSPs can seamlessly integrate NinjaOne into their maintenance operations by using its automation features. Some examples include:

Streamline your MSP operations with regular IT maintenance days

Recurring IT maintenance fosters proactive operations, improved client communications and transparency, and consistent service. Through the combination of automation, effective client communication, and strategic planning, MSPs can deliver a superior, scalable, and client-focused maintenance experience.

Related topics:

• How to Build an IT Automation Strategy in 4 Steps
• How to Minimize Downtime in IT Operations
• Escaping IT Groundhog Day: Top 10 Repetitive Helpdesk Tasks to Automate