How Much Does it Cost your Business to Use Old Computers?

Reducing costs and improving employee productivity are some of the top priorities of small businesses. If you’re holding onto a five-year-old computer – complete with Office 2010 installed – you may want to reconsider. You’ll be surprised at the staggering costs of using a business PC that’s over three years old.

Old PCs cost your business a fortune in lost productivity, repair costs, downtime and upgrades.

Lost productivity costs

Did you know?

• Approximately 40 work hours are lost every year while an old computer is being serviced or repaired.
• You can reduce repair time to half by using a PC that is less than four-years-old.

Tip: New PCs reduce your repair time and save you money.

Have you considered how much this costs your business regarding lost productivity? For example, an employee who earns $25 or $30 an hour may lose this much productivity annually:

• • $25 per hour x 42 hours = $1050
  • $30 per hour x 42 hours = $3042

On the flip side, new computers can improve employee productivity. Simple tasks, including computer startup and shutdowns, are performed faster with a new device. The older your PC, the more trouble it will have when running multiple applications at once. When an employee uses their computer eight hours a day, these time savings add up to hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars annually.

Costs of upgrades

How many hours of lost productivity and frustration is spent annually trying to make old software work? Not only is it slower than newer, more efficient, software but it’s an unnecessary headache. The older your device, the more compatibly issues you’ll face. Gradually, the different software that you use will be not compatible with each other.

Eliminate these issues by using the latest software on your computer. Standard software and operating systems, such as Microsoft Office or Windows, will be pre-installed in your new computer. The pre-installed software will save you money as you do not have to upgrade your current software to the latest version.

Security risks

Outdated software can cost you a fortune in security vulnerabilities. One breach of your system or a nasty virus or malicious attack can cost your business a tremendous amount of money. Your old software may have flaws and security gaps that are not automatically patched or updated. Even worse, the software company may no longer support the software on your machine. Should a security breach expose your customer’s data to hackers, you may have no reasonable justification in court. You may be legally liable as you were using outdated software.

Data loss

Hard drive failures can lead to catastrophic data loss. Does your business have a cloud-based data backup service in place? Are your files and valuable data in safe hands and are you prepared for the worse case scenario? Although this issue is of critical importance with older PCs, data loss can happen to any company. Our data backup and recovery solutions and Managed IT solutions offer you rock-solid security, automatic backups and ensure that your data is recovered quickly after a disaster. We offer you a 99% uptime guarantee.

When should I replace my computer?

Did you know that approximately “36 percent of small businesses have PCs that are four years or older” (Techaisle)? Large businesses and corporations, on the other hand, have plans in place for upgrading their devices after three years. The lifetime for a desktop computer is approximately three years. After this time, you need to start planning for a replacement machine. It will cost you more money to hold onto a dinosaur computer than investing in a new, efficient one.

Essential Tech is a Brisbane Managed IT and IT Support company that can help your business save money, improve productivity and streamline operations. We’ll work with you to get the right mix of technology and hardware that suits your budget and business needs.

Find out how you can save money with VOIP, cloud services and Managed IT services. We offer you the benefits of no upfront costs, 99% uptime and a 90-day satisfaction guarantee. Discover the savings you can make with the right products and technology in place.

References
Techaisle: https://i.crn.com/sites/default/files/ckfinderimages/userfiles/images/crn/custom/INTELBCCSITENEW/TheAgeingPCEffect_TechaisleWhitePaper.pdf