By Steve Tylock
Having started a conversation about Planned Replacement vs Failure Replacement, the next consideration might just be – with what?
Hype
Let’s get this out of the way – hype sells computers.
If you need the latest, greatest, super-duper, high performance computer to do your day to day job – good for you! I’ve seen those used in CAD/CAM, video production, design simulation, and general number crunching situations. Sometimes with Architects, Engineers, and Videographers. If that’s you, let’s figure it out, we can help with IT hardware procurement.
But most of our readers don’t need that.
They’re looking for a system to:
- Correspond via email
- Compose and read documents, spreadsheets, and presentations
- Visit / interact with web sites
- Run a program to manage the office activity
- Watch videos, listen to podcasts/radio
- EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK, EVERY WEEK, ALL YEAR LONG…
I’m sorry if that seems boring, but it’s just the reality of a professionals life. Your typical professional in the accounting, legal, healthcare, or manufacturing environment needs a tool that just works – day in and day out.
Consumer Grade
This level of equipment is good enough to not break (most of the time) in the first 30 days.
Sure – call me a cynic, but the stories about toys getting discarded in the weeks after Christmas aren’t made up out of thin air – it happens!
And yes, unless you’re taking care to get a higher level of internal components, you can expect it to be from the bottom shelf.
Lastly, I will say there was a period five years ago when I saw consumer grade router/firewalls regularly fail after 18 months. If the device had a second issue and was at least that old I’d say it’s cheaper for you to buy a new one than it would be for me to re-program this device again.
Business Class
Business class equipment comes with a higher grade of component – and expectation.
Consider disk drives for a moment. In spinning disks you’ll find them from 5400, 7200, 10,000, and even 15,000 RPM – revolutions per minute. The higher the rate, the faster data can get transferred on and off them. For the higher data rates you’ll pay more because the components are held to a higher/tighter standard. (This is good only as an example because you probably have seen these sorts of numbers before – for our current managed services clients we use only solid state drives these days (SSD)…)
Software comes with the same sorts of differentiation.
Sure – you can install and run the “free” version of many programs on the office computer, but it probably specifically restricts use to individuals, denying businesses that right. When you upgrade to the paid or pro version you not only get additional features but likely support as well.
With a Warranty
This answers both the “why” and the “how” businesses get better grade equipment.
We normally sell three year warranties with our new equipment. I know the hardware manufacturers would like to see us extend those warranties, but we’d rather advise our clients to replace equipment during that fourth warranty-less year.
And for that warranty, the manufacturer is pledging to the expense of servicing / replacing if it breaks during that period. And they really don’t want that happening – so – tada – the equipment will generally in fact run for that long. I like to think the warranty keeps them honest.
Day In Day Out
I used the term above, and that’s really the answer you’re probably looking for.
If the expectation is set that each employee will put in a solid day of work every day of the week, issues that prevent that from happening are issues that sap away the organization’s productivity.
And any time missed because equipment or software breaks down is lost.
Sure – you can plan for and arrange temporary accommodations across the work force. But how often do you really want to do that?
Working with business class products helps minimize the disruptions. Having a company like us advise and fulfill your procurement helps you make the right decisions.
Your Call
As a partner, it’s my job to make sure my clients get the benefit of our combined experience, training, and wisdom. At the end of the day, nobody can force you to buy better equipment, we’ll implement the plan of your choice.
In addition to lowering employee stress, and supporting them with consistently useful tools, it shows how much you value their effectiveness.
PS – the quality of infrastructure equipment is just as important as PCs – especially since everyone depends on it…
In the Rochester area, CMIT Solutions provides local, responsive IT support and technology services for small to mid-sized businesses. As your IT partner, we ensure systems are running, your data is secure, and your staff is productive. Backed by a national system, we have over 200 locations across the country with local ownership in Rochester.
Steve Tylock is a systems infrastructure professional with broad information technology experiences in servers, desktops, networks, security, applications, team development, and solution architecture across the domains of business, education, government, and manufacturing. He specializes in analyzing environments leading to strategies and plans for growth and excellence.
