Are You Rolling The Dice With Aging Computer Equipment?

How often do you upgrade or replace aging computer equipment for your business?

Large companies with established IT budgets may operate on a two-to-three-year upgrade cycle.

However, smaller companies with little to no established IT budgets may simply opt to roll the dice and max out the life of their equipment (read: we’ll replace it when it breaks or becomes unusable).

While it may make sense to max out the life of equipment and get the most bang for the buck, it potentially carries certain risks including: (1) impeding productivity due to ongoing performance issues (ex: lags, crashes, freezes, data loss) and/or lack of support for newer software and hardware, (2) increasing operating costs due to ongoing maintenance and repairs, (3) opening the business to cybersecurity vulnerabilities due to older operating systems or software that no longer receive routine updates, (4) risking extended downtime due to a catastrophic system failure which may subsequently trigger a domino effect … just to name a few.

Small businesses should remain proactive by planning ahead, developing upgrade/replacement plans prioritizing based on urgency and need, and incorporating plans into their operating budgets/financial projections* based on the financial state of the business and cash flow availability rather than on a set upgrade cycle.

In lieu of replacing all computer equipment every two to three years, upgrades/replacements may be spread over time based on priority and as supported by cash flow and the financial state of the business.

*If you’re a small business that doesn’t already do budgeting or financial projections, you should get started!

Contact Us and let’s discuss how we may be able to help!