My car's battery died suddenly, any way to prevent that?

I had that horrible experience this morning where my car just wouldn't start. A quick jump got me going, but now I'm paranoid it'll happen again at the worst time. A colleague mentioned that in this heat, batteries take a real beating and need more attention. He shared some essential vehicle servicing advice he found online, which explained how heat shortens battery life and that checking terminals for corrosion and testing the battery during routine service can prevent sudden failure. It also talked about checking fluids like coolant more often here. I'm definitely going to be more proactive. For those who are good with cars, how often do you usually replace your battery to avoid this kind of surprise?