Investing in new computer hardware can be a big decision for many small to medium-sized businesses. It will often mean upgrading several workstations, laptops, or other devices, which comes at a cost.

Older computers can harm your business efficiency

However, continuing to use older computers can harm your business efficiency and productivity – not to mention customer satisfaction.

We’ve all been at the other end of the phone, or at the front desk, while a customer service consultant says in an embarrassed voice: “Sorry, my system is down, can you please wait for a minute.”

According to Intel, an old PC could cost you up to $17,000 a year in productivity costs. The organisation quotes a study that calculated that outdated computers make employees 29% less productive.

While tight budgets are a fact of life for all SMEs and new, unexpected, costs are around every corner, there are some significant benefits from investing in new computer equipment.

And, if buying brand new computer hardware is genuinely not within your budget, you could instead get your current fleet repaired and refurbished.

It’s important to reframe your thinking, not in terms of whether you can afford to upgrade or not, but if you can afford not to.

6 benefits of investing in new computer hardware

1. Improved performance

For starters, you can expect that upgraded hardware will be faster than your existing computer equipment. This will result in an immediate increase in staff productivity, as your computers will boot up more quickly at the start of the day, and staff can do computer-based tasks more efficiently.

Your hard drives have more generous storage space, your printers output pages faster and your network servers are quicker too.

For an instant productivity gain, our clients almost always invest in an additional monitor. Having multiple screens allow for a smoother workflow, without having to constantly minimise tabs and windows.

For an instant speed boost, best practice used to be to install more RAM. These days you can’t go past installing or upgrading to an SSD Hard drive. This simple upgrade will allow your computer to typically run five times faster. An SSD hard drive has no moving parts and therefore the data transfer is instantaneous!

PC Pitstop upgrade Apple iMac and PC’s to new SSD Hard drive technology almost every day of the week. The speed increases are so obvious that savvy business owners end up getting all of their systems upgraded. Book your SSD Hard drive upgrade in today.

2. Greater reliability

Computer equipment becomes less reliable over time, particularly in hard-working industrial and manufacturing environments. Upgraded hardware will mean you will experience less downtime from system ‘freezes’ and crashes.

3. Better cybersecurity

While you might think that a small to medium-sized Australian business won’t appear on the radar of cyber-criminals, this is a fallacy. A report by leading cybersecurity and intelligence firm 4iQ indicates there was a 424% increase in new breaches of small businesses in 2018.

And SmartCompany quotes a survey of 1,000 small- and medium-sized businesses where 78% of respondents indicated they had been the target of a cyber-attack in the past 12 months. New hardware offers better protection from these kinds of threats.

4. Happier employees

Nobody wants to use antiquated, under-performing equipment that continually crashes or lags. Upgrading your computer hardware will lift your employees’ morale and help them feel more engaged in the workplace. They will enjoy completing their computer-based tasks quicker and get satisfaction from their boost in productivity.

5. Satisfied customers

Outdated hardware slows down your transaction time, with the network taking longer to load files and apps. This creates a poor experience where quick access is essential when dealing with customers.

New hardware operates more quickly and efficiently and eliminates frustrating wait times.

6. Better support

Outdated hardware reaches a point in its life where the manufacturer no longer supports it. This leaves you exposed to security risks, and an increasing frequency of computer and system crashes.

By upgrading you can be confident you’ll get the business IT support you and your team need to keep your practice humming along.

If you’d like to talk first, just contact us or give us a call on 02 6584 1551.