Try to maintain the network environment's systems periodically to avoid any inefficiency.
Manage servers based on their roles and responsibilities.
Audit not only to identify security breaches or suspicious activity, but also to gain insight into how the network, network devices, and systems are accessed.
Enable audit policies through the local system policy or Group Policy Objects.
Remotely manage a system using Microsoft Management Console (MMC), Remote Desktop for Administration, scripting, and command-line utilities.
Use MOM to proactively manage Windows Server 2003.
Identify tasks that are important to the system's overall health and security.
Perform the first WINS backup to initiate automatic WINS backups.
Thoroughly test and evaluate service packs and updates in a lab environment before installing them on production servers and client machines.
Install the appropriate service packs and updates on each production server and client machine to keep all systems consistent.
Use Software Update Services to minimize administration, management, and maintenance associated with keeping up with the latest service packs and updates.
Distribute the service packs and hotfixes downloaded from SUS to a lab server for testing.
Categorize and document daily maintenance activities such as checking server functionality, verifying that backups were successful, and monitoring Event Viewer events.
Categorize and document weekly maintenance processes and procedures such as checking disk space, verifying hardware operation, archiving event logs, defragmenting volumes, and diagnosing domain controllers with DCDIAG.
Categorize and document monthly maintenance processes and procedures such as maintaining file system integrity, testing UPS functionality, validating backups, updating ASR sets, and updating documentation.
Categorize and document quarterly maintenance processes and procedures such as checking storage limits, changing administrative passwords, and maintaining the AD database.