Technology is everywhere today: in your car, pocket, on your wrist, running your business, etc. It is always advancing to become faster, more efficient, and cheaper. Inevitability, these things become obsolete and raises the question of when or if you should upgrade. When it comes to IT infrastructure for your business, Everon recommends a 3-5 year life-cycle. This is especially important for the core components that drive your business such as servers, network equipment (like firewalls), and workstations.
From time to time, we run across a business that is using a 5-10 year old servers, workstations, or network equipment. The mentality of, “if it’s not broke, why fix it?” sometimes comes into play. When equipment that is 5+ years old does break, it is out of support/warranty meaning that you will be shelling out more money then you normally would for an emergency solution while losing money paying idle employees or affecting services that customers pay you for. It’s a huge gamble that shouldn’t be taken lightly, which is why proactive budgeting and replacement should be done. While most people don’t replace equipment at the 3 year mark, it’s a good trigger to plan ahead for action in year 4 or 5 which is why I like the 3-5 year lifecycle rule of thumb.
If you’re a small business owner or decision maker for one, do you have any IT infrastructure older than 5 years? If you don’t have a replacement plan in place, why not? Now with that, think about how often you replace your cell phone? Most people seem to do this every 2-3 years at most. It’s rare you see a flip phone nowadays so why would you want the technology that is critical to your business take the back seat?
Everon recommends periodic reviews on your equipment to ensure a warranty is in place or to catch any aging equipment that slipped through. If you need any assistance, Everon can help put together a technology assessment to see where you infrastructure stands and where it should be going. Give us a call today! 888-244-1748 www.everonit.com