Value of preventive maintenance

Yes, primarily because most equipment failures happen at the most inopportune times. It's true that Murphy's Law (whatever can go wrong, will) is alive and well in small business.

Unplanned outages can be very costly, not only from the cost of the repair and recovery, but also from lost productivity. Even a small office can burn up a hundred or more dollars an hour with a computer system failure. This does not include the cost of lost business opportunity.

One of the best ways to keep preventive maintenance in perspective is to realize that breakdowns negatively impact your ability to serve customers as promised. And that's not just a loss of money this month; it's a loss of long-term competitive advantage.