No matter the industry, keeping your business viable in the marketplace requires keeping up-to-date with technology, to some extent. At the same time, technology upgrades can be expensive, and most business owners already have full plates when it comes to budget-related concerns.
When should you invest in new I.T. equipment, and when is it OK to stand pat, squeezing as much mileage out of the old equipment as possible? This is a difficult decision, especially when the equipment you have still works.
Consider these three risk factors when opting not to invest in new hardware.
Clearly, deciding to ride out your old equipment and put off an I.T. overhaul is a gamble. It could cost you more, in terms of frequent repairs, decreased productivity, frustrated employees, and lost clients than it costs just to bite the bullet and upgrade the entire system.
At Keystone Technology Management, we help businesses smooth the transition from old to new I.T. equipment with our secure, professional data destruction services in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and throughout the Northeast region. We’re here to help safely dispose of hardware while preventing disastrous security breaches.
Age
The typical lifespan of a desktop computer is around five years, while laptops tend to last three or four years. When this amount of time elapses, it’s a good idea to start considering an upgrade, no matter how well the equipment appears to be performing. It’s also important to consider the length of the service warranty on your hardware and weigh the cost of repairing equipment vs. replacing it.
Speed
You simply can’t afford a slow network or excessive downtime due to faulty equipment. If your employees are frequently expressing concern about the speed of their machines, reporting regular crashes, or bringing the computers in for maintenance and repair service, it’s time to start clearing room in the budget for an I.T. upgrade.
Compatibility
The hardware in your office needs to be able to keep up with software updates and to run that updated software efficiently and productively. There will come a time when your old computers lack the power and capacity to do that. Incompatibility between hardware and software will lead to installation errors, increased downtime, more frequent crashes, and overall decreased performance.
If you’re reading this and thinking you’d better get moving with your I.T. equipment transition, contact our team to help clear out the old hardware and make room for the new. Our I.T. asset disposition services for businesses in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and the surrounding areas will keep your data safe while minimizing the impact on the environment.
For more information, give us a call or fill out a contact form on our website.