Knowing When to Replace Your Business Technology Hardware

Knowing When to Replace Your Business Technology Hardware

While it’s not uncommon to have a vehicle for 10 years or a washing machine for 15 years, the same cannot be said for technology and electronics. Your business computers are no different.

I had a company contact me a while back to help them with the main computer in the office. This particular computer was used to create medical animations for large companies and doctors offices. This computer was their powerhouse - and it was 10 years old.

None of the hardware or software was under warranty or even supported by any vendors. Ten years is a long time to wait to upgrade your computer. In some situations, like this customer, we were able to retrieve the data, but they were stuck without a crucial component of their business; the computer, and looking at spending thousands of dollars to reinvest in a new computer and software licensing.

You do not have to replace your computer every year, or even every 18 months as some “experts” might suggest. If you follow these guidelines, you should be in the clear.

For a regular desktop computer, you should ideally replace it every three years. The good news is that the price for a desktop computer has decreased dramatically over the last decade. Another benefit to replacing your computer every three years is that there are upgrades made daily. You will have access to new products and services, more protection and advanced features.

In terms of a notebook computer, or laptop, these should be replaced every two to three years but that really depends on how much abuse they take. If you use your laptop for everything, stop and think about what you would do without it. If you are reluctant to replace your laptop due to cost, imagine what would happen to you and/or your business if one day it just didn’t work. Could you still work? Could your business still run? These are the tough questions you have to ask in order to protect yourself from technology pitfalls.

If you are a business owner, your server will last you a bit longer than the other two and should be replaced every five years. You will want to keep the server in a clean, dust-free and environmentally controlled room to keep all of the moving parts working efficiently.

When it comes to smaller pieces of technology, such as printers or wireless routers, these items tend to have a shelf-life of about one to two years. Again, with technology being more accessible and more affordable, you will typically want to replace these items rather than pay to have them fixed. Even worse, if you wait too long, they could breakdown entirely and leave you stuck in a tough spot, if even for a few hours.

Just remember, you can certainly take measures to extend the life of your technology. However, if you own or use a crucial piece of equipment, it’s always going to cost more to come back from a disaster, then it will to replace the hardware with these simple measures.