In business, it’s easy to let some non-essential needs slide. You probably don’t need to replace the coffee machine every year, and your desk from five years ago is probably just as functional now as it was when you bought it. Sometimes, you might even let old mechanical equipment run until it breaks.
But you can’t do that with IT.
In fact, neglecting your IT isn’t buying you any kind of time or benefiting your business by holding back costs. Leaving your IT equipment without upgrades is a big mistake; let’s examine the reasons why.
It’s a Ticking Time Bomb
When traditional equipment begins to show signs of wear, you might not replace it right away because it still gets the job done. With IT equipment, you need to remove outdated technology before it starts to become a problem.
Let’s say you keep an old computer around to run some outdated software that doesn’t run on new machines. If you don’t keep a backup of that machine and have a plan to migrate your data away from it, what happens when that computer dies?
First our RAID server died. Now THREE other computers are giving us trouble. OS hdd died on one, and both others giving weird boot issues
— Wren (@SirWrender) November 9, 2015
You could come into your office one day and find that your ancient computer won’t turn on anymore. With customers calling, you’re going to be in deep trouble if you can’t even turn your machine on.
Milking old equipment for all it’s worth won’t save you any money in the long run, because replacing it will come at a higher cost if its unplanned failure impacts the ability to conduct business. Every device, whether a workstation, server, or printer, will fail at some point. Planning for this and taking reasonable measures to replace equipment before it stops working reduces the risk of an emergency down the road.
You’re Not Set For Business Growth
Presumably, you want your company to grow over time. This means hiring more employees, but expansion will happen in other areas, too. When you’re keeping track of more data, you’ll need more powerful systems or cloud solutions to store and process it.
When you’re just making do with ancient systems, you’re penalizing your own growth. Whether this manifests itself by providing inferior tools to new hires or having to turn down potential work because you’re not equipped to handle it, cutting into your own growth won’t be a good thing.
Few aspects of your company are probably the same as they were a decade ago, so why should your IT systems be an exception? Machines from ten years ago aren’t able to handle your increased business or the new technology developed in recent years.
Ask yourself a question — what IT systems would you need in place in order for your company to double? If you shudder at that thought, chances are that some of your equipment is due for an upgrade.
You Waste Time With Older Equipment
It’s not just future problems that occur with outdated equipment — you suffer in the present, too. Old systems are almost certainly slower than they should be, so you and your employees take longer to do work every day. Older workstations and servers are prone to security flaws; despite this, many businesses are still using Windows XP.
Older systems don’t work correctly with some modern software, and they’re more prone to physical breakdowns, as well. Every hour you spend fixing (or paying someone to fix) old machines is an hour you aren’t being productive.
Time to Upgrade
Your IT infrastructure should work for you; it’s not something that should frustrate you constantly. Within reason, money spent acquiring modern IT equipment is money well spent. You can expect fewer PC issues and fewer mechanical breakdowns, along with peace of mind that comes with knowing your infrastructure isn’t one moment from collapsing.
If you know that your IT is in need of upgrading, you don’t have to wait any longer. Contact us and let us assess your biggest IT needs for free.