Outdated hardware and software can result in system downtimes and severe severe data corruption, breach or loss. The real cost to a business can be catastrophic and directly impacts the bottom line, productivity and reputation. We all know staff engagement drives productivity and growth. Using outmoded laptops and desktop computers and inadequate IT infrastructure leads to frustration amongst staff.
It limits their daily productivity and hinders the flexibility that modern workplaces require. The remote workforce is a developing feature of doing business. In fact, a recent Roy Morgan survey found that in July nearly a third of all working Aussies in Victoria and NSW now worked from home instead of in the office.
Without the technology to support work-from-home initiatives, businesses can lose their competitive edge, or worse still, be forced to close. Portable technology like tablets and laptops enable staff to work beyond the confines of the office. But if this technology is suffering downtime or sub-standard performance, staff productivity drops, customer experience is not optimised and the business bottom line suffers.
Technology is always changing. Older operating systems, like Microsoft Windows 7, have potential security flaws that hackers take advantage of, making a system more vulnerable to malware and other attacks. It's not enough to run a current protection suite, such as one that combines antivirus, antispyware and a firewall, because the operating system itself may contain security holes.
With new cyberattacks being launched daily, your organization could easily fall prey to a ransomware attack or malware infection. Windows 10, Microsoft's latest desktop operating system, is designed to be more secure than previous versions.
Plus, it has a decent shelf life and should run just fine on PC hardware you purchased within the past three or four years. Your PCs that are running Windows 7 probably meet those specifications already.
The latest OS lets employees take advantage of a host of new apps and programs that boost productivity. And because Windows 10 runs on all kinds of devices, including smartphones and high-end laptops, your employees get a consistent user experience regardless of which device they use. Note: Microsoft will continue to push security patches and hotfixes to Windows 7 computers until Jan.
Learn more here. Over time, computers, peripherals and printers become outdated and move into the legacy class. For very old hardware say five years or more , you might have a hard time finding drivers that support new operating systems and applications, leading to compatibility and reliability issues.
One major issue with legacy computers is inadequate RAM, which can be a major pain point for users. Web browsers, especially, require a lot of memory. Just open Task Manager in Windows and browse the running processes to see how much more memory a browser uses than most other programs. Many employees tend to have a browser open at all times, along with other software, so a computer without enough RAM can greatly decrease employee productivity while increasing their frustration level.
Keeping old equipment in use might seem like a money saver, but it requires more maintenance than new equipment in the form of upgrades and repairs. And waiting until your server crashes to replace it is risky, potentially setting your business back for days at a time and resulting in loss of revenue. Consider an upgrade cycle of every three years for computers, or more often if you can afford it.
But when connections become slow or experience frequent interruptions, or when workarounds are creating more manual work, your productivity is impacted.
Evaluating these signals will help you to determine how often your particular business should upgrade its technology. Businesses everywhere are re-evaluating remote access for their teams. As companies look to modify their technology, making smart choices regarding costs are always of utmost importance. Remember that making cost-cutting decisions when it comes to technology can ultimately be more expensive in remediation expenses in the long run.
Modern companies must be prepared to turn on a dime to meet customer expectations and competitor challenges. Technology improvements that facilitate that agility are useful both during a pandemic and in a fast-paced competitive environment. Here are three key areas to consider when evaluating what enhancements to make.
Increased network capacity or redundant connectivity may be worth investigating for businesses with mission-critical access needs and little tolerance for downtime. Speed and access can be hindered by aging system infrastructure. Current servers may not be able to scale to meet the increased demand from a broader user base.
When looking to upgrade computer equipment and communication devices, companies must ask a few important questions to evaluate their own priorities:. For instance, business analysts who have been running computationally-intensive statistical models on desktop computers would likely need equally powerful laptops capable of meeting the demands of their work, while an administrative team member hardly needs the same kind of power from a workstation.
Yet, the reverse may be true when it comes to communication. The business analyst may have minimal needs when it comes to video conferencing or remote access to a business phone, while an administrative team member may rely heavily on phone or video calls to maintain communication with other employees and vendors.
The most attractive benefits of cloud solutions include potential cost savings and the minimal resources needed to maintain cloud-based applications. With a cloud-hosted server, the addition of hardware resources can be immediate with very little or no interruption to your business. There are also cloud options that include server updates and patching as part of the solution.
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