Upgrade at Just the Right Time to Get the Most Efficient IT System Possible

Eventually, you’re going to have to upgrade your company’s technology. Sure, you could attempt to save money by holding out for as long as possible. In the end, this strategy may actually cost you money since you'll be stuck using outdated, inefficient equipment and software. How do you know, for sure, when it’s the ideal time to upgrade your business' technology?

This is an important question that every establishment must wrestle with. Being in error here can be costly; in addition to the aforementioned oversight of getting stuck with old equipment, there’s the equally costly possibility that you may upgrade too soon and replace a piece of technology that’s working just fine for you. For important technology-related decisions such as these, you’re going to want to bring in the IT professionals for expert advice. It’s a minimal expense that will yield great dividends like ending up with an IT infrastructure that’s perfectly tailored to meet your company’s needs and budget.

For example, one way that Horne & Benik can guide your organization is by making recommendations on how to best utilize cloud computing. By now, you’ve heard of the cloud and how it’s revolutionizing business operations by giving companies anytime/anywhere access to their data, equipping staff with powerful collaboration tools, opening up new ways to communicate, and much more. However, knowing about the cloud and knowing how to upgrade to the cloud are two completely different matters.

There are multiple ways to incorporate cloud computing into your business computing model. You can go all-in and migrate all of your data to the cloud, you can replace your hosted legacy software with cloud-based apps, or you can equip your in-house network with new cloud computing hardware that will provide you with all the benefits of the cloud while giving you more control of your data than what you’d find in a public cloud option. To find out how to best incorporate the cloud, one practical way to begin is by assessing the status of your current IT setup.

Here are just a few things that our IT technicians look for when determining if an organization needs to upgrade their technology.

• Quality of current hardware: This pain point is usually the most obvious. If workplace productivity is constantly taking a hit due to faulty equipment, then you’re going to need to upgrade, and soon. If this is the case, you’re actually in a great position to upgrade to the cloud because it will cost you much less to buy a stripped-down machine like a thin client that’s connected to the cloud, instead of having to buy a fully loaded, top-of-the-line workstation or server unit. On a related note, it’s important to consider a machine’s peripherals, like if you would benefit by upgrading to USB 3.1.
• Operating systems: Even though some companies prefer to hang on to a favorite operating system for as long as possible, there eventually comes a time when the software manufacturer pulls the plug and stops supporting it (like with Windows XP and Windows Server 2000), leaving businesses that continue to use it at great risk. If you’re using outdated software, then you’re a good candidate for a technology refresh. And if you want to make upgrading your desktops as simple as possible, then let’s have a discussion about how remote monitoring and management can minimize the amount of maintenance time required for each machine.
• Legacy Applications: Often times, the newest version of a legacy application will afford your business with several useful features and benefits. In addition to looking at these features, we look at the requirements to run it and determine if that warrants a hardware refresh or a move to the cloud. As explained by InformationWeek: “Application upgrades that run locally on PC hardware also influence whether or not you should upgrade PC hardware for your end-users. If an application upgrade requires a significant boost in memory, processing, or graphics power, it may be the primary factor in deciding to upgrade.”

And so we ask again, “How can you know for sure when it’s the ideal time to upgrade?” To get the best answer possible to this inquiry, give Horne & Benik a call at (603) 499-4400.