Organizations should replace staff computers roughly every five years. Older systems start costing far more (in lost productivity, security risks, and repair expenses) than the cost of replacement. We recommend that you plan ahead for computer replacement by maintaining an ongoing computer inventory with a five-year replacement schedule. Here are just a few common pitfalls:
Pitfalls of Outdated Computer Hardware
Staff will get less done, and be more frustrated
Older machines become noticeably slower over time, with longer startup times, applications running sluggishly, and pronounced delays in opening files or switching programs. Outdated machines also function poorly with modern software and cloud platforms like Microsoft 365, Teams, Adobe applications, and CRMs.
Employees struggle when technology is outdated. A failing computer can stop an employee from working entirely. Unexpected worker downtime often costs and organization more than planned equipment replacement. Even losing 10–15 minutes per employee per day adds up to hundreds of hours of lost worker productivity per year.
Staff will be less safe online
Older computers often stop receiving updates from Microsoft or the computer manufacturer. This makes it harder to protect your computer against modern threats such as spyware and ransomware. You will also be more vulnerable to phishing attacks.
Your organization will pay more to keep your computers running
After about five years, hardware failures increase, batteries degrade, and fans and drives begin deteriorating. At the same time these parts start failing, replacement parts become harder to find as manufacturers and third parties stop manufacturing and supporting these parts. At this point, you will spend significantly more time on tech support and fixing machine issues and less on driving the mission of your organization forward.
You won’t be able to use your favorite programs
Modern business applications and cloud platforms continue increasing system requirements. After five years, machines struggle with:
- Video meetings, such as with Zoom, Slack, or Microsoft Teams
- AI-assisted software tools
- Work that depends on heavy use of a web browser
At some point, users simply can’t work efficiently anymore.
Updated Hardware Helps Your Organization Meet Your Mission
Planned upgrades allow you to budget properly, standardize your computers, reduce emergency purchases, and avoid interruptions of your work. Plus:
Your staff will be happier and more productive
Modern equipment helps improve morale and reduce frustration. Up-to-date machines are also critical to effective remote and hybrid work, which require fast and robust processing. Additionally, when new hires join your organization, refreshed technology improves the onboarding experience and gets new employees underway on their work with ease.
Managing IT will be easier and less costly
Standardizing computers every five years helps Alternative Technologies or your IT team maintain consistent records of the applications and platforms that your staff needs. It also speeds up new employee onboarding procedures. It can allow your team to use technology such as computer imaging – a way to automatically install an operating system with all the necessary applications and settings. This can be done on a new computer, or to restore an existing computer that has had a problem.
Updating computers also ensures that your IT team can
- Simplify troubleshooting
- Reduce compatibility issues
- Quickly get security patches to all computers
- Simplify procedures such as inventory and warranty tracking
You will be free to focus on what matters
When staff can work efficiently, whether that’s running video meetings, editing collaborative documents, contacting constituents and more, they are bringing your organization’s mission to life. From booting a computer up at the start of the day, to pivoting from documents to a donor database, to running a backup each night, modern equipment moves your critical work forward without you having to think about it.
TL;DR
If a computer is slowing employees down, generating support tickets, or becoming a security concern, it’s no longer saving money. Avoid lost time and money by keeping an updated computer hardware inventory and replacement plan. Alternative Technologies can manage this entire process for you, keeping an updated hardware inventory that includes a five-year replacement cycle.
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