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Stay In The
Upgrade Sweet Spot
I’ve worked with
organizations who always
purchased the best
computer systems simply
because they were the
best and the newest, and
would do so twice a year
or more! I have
also worked with
companies who waited
until their computer
systems were five,
seven, or even ten years
old before the “evil”
computer companies
“forced” them to buy new
computers.
Both of these types of
organizations were
losing money on their
technology because of
these attitudes.
You don’t want to
constantly purchase
cutting edge technology,
and you don’t want your
technology to get too
old either.
Somewhere, there is
sweet spot where your
organization and achieve
maximum return on
technology investment.
It’s a little different
between software and
hardware, so we’ll
tackle each.
When it comes to
computer hardware,
remember these two
numbers: 3.5 and 7.5.
These two numbers will
ensure your maximum ROI
when it comes to
computer purchases.
Stated simply: Purchase
new computers every 3.5
years, and purchase
computers that, when
rated on scale from one
to ten, rate a 7.5.
Computer hardware starts
to break down after
about three years of
constant use.
Components start
overheating and moving
parts (like fans and
hard drives) start
dying. The good
news is a computer that
is younger than 3 years
is a perfectly viable
machine, and rarely
needs upgrading or
replacing.
Purchasing new computers
when your old ones get
to be about three and a
half years old ensures
that you are in the
sweet spot of not too
old and problematic, and
not too young and
expensive.
When purchasing
computers for business
use, based on the
specifications of the
hardware, always buy a
7.5 on a scale from one
to ten. If you
need help, have your IT
staff review the
computer specs for you.
I can virtually
guarantee that a
computer less than a
seven will be too slow
and have trouble sooner
than 3.5 years.
Don’t step over dollars
to grasp at pennies in
order to save $100 on a
computer only to blow
thousands of dollars in
lost productivity down
the road. At the
same time, rarely do
employees need computers
that are beyond a 7.5.
Computers get very
expensive at that point,
which can really hurt
your ROI.
When it comes to
computer software,
things are a little more
subjective.
Software “ages” much
more slowly than
hardware. As of
this writing it is 2006,
and Microsoft Word 2000
is still a viable piece
of software despite
being six years old; six
years being considered
quite ancient in the
computer world.
The questions that
should always be asked
when evaluating software
are:
-
Does the software
still serve our
needs well?
-
Do our employees
have to jump through
hoops that they
wouldn’t have to if
the software was
updated?
-
Is the software
still compatible
with other software
we use?
-
Is the software
still compatible
with other companies
we do business with?
If the answers to all
four questions seem
positive, you are
probably still in your
ROI sweet spot. If
not, your company is
probably losing money
and a software upgrade
or replacement would
serve your bottom line
well, not to mention the
well-being of your
employees.
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Caleb Jones
www.calebjones.com
>Click to Email Caleb<
888.646.TECH |
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