Well, you probably do. Regardless of how skilled your IT Support, Network Admin or Computer Services are, if you are a business owner you will be faced with upgrades. This is the reality of what it takes to run a business in today’s competitive market. What if NSI stopped upgrading? How would we stay in business and maintain our ability to provide services like TotalCare, Data Backup and Recovery, Remote Help Desk Services, On Site Computer Maintenance and Printer Repair? We would stink, and no one would want our antiquated service offerings.
Information Technology is a critical business component, and it affects a company’s ability to remain competitive. IT is now a necessary tool for funeral homes; who would have thought that phrase would be something an IT solutions provider would write in a blog post? The ability to find details, directions, send flowers, and leave condolences is now commonplace. Technology makes this possible; no business is immune.
Network and hardware upgrades aren’t our idea, nor are they always our friend. Windows 8 is the latest Microsoft Operating System, so new PC’s, Tablets, Desktops, and Laptops will ship with Win8. This is where it starts, and it all rolls up from there. Example:
A 32-bit Windows Vista machine in your office, dies. (Nothing lives forever)
You procure a replacement. (A tricked out PC is now very affordable, so you go all out)
It’s a 64-bit, Super Processor, Mega RAM w/ a Terabyte Hard Drive, and Windows 8. (32-bit is obsolete).
Because you backup up the data on your PC’s, deploying this machine will be a manageable task for any IT Service Provider or Network Admin. (PS: you are also our best practices hero, and you are a talented, well-informed business owner).
Once the new tricked out Win8 machine is up and running, there is the typical learning curve, as with any new Operating System or upgrade. This frustrating period slows productivity and distracts other employees as they try to find functionalities that were once in plain sight. Your office “task printer” no longer works, because it’s not compatible with 64-bit technology, and the internet seems to be really fast on this new machine, which is causing a raucous. We encounter situations like this every day. However, keep in mind, not everything happens because of a complete hardware failure.
Here are some key indicators you may need some upgrades. If you are asking questions or making statements like:
“Why is my computer so slow?”
“What is this error message I keep getting?”
“We only back up our server.”
“I have to constantly reboot, why?”
“Why is the internet slow?”
“I’ve done all my software upgrades and updates, why doesn’t it work better?”
“My backups fail because something happens with the router.”
“Is there a way to connect to the office network from home?”
“We only have one server, it handles everything.”
“We can’t afford a backup solution.”
“We don’t need the cloud.”
“I just take the external drives home.”
“I rotate the tapes every day, M-F.”
The good news is, hardware prices are more affordable now than ever before as hardware solutions have to compete with cloud and hosted technologies, which are also less expensive than in previous years. Data backup solutions are pennies, compared to costs from two or three years ago. IT Services like TotalCare are proactive and are delivered remotely, with little disruption or downtime. I cannot stress this enough: If you have not considered upgrading because you think it is too expensive, please call me, or send me an email so we can at least take a look at your environment. You will most likely be pleasantly surprised with the options available, and the costs associated for top notch IT Solutions. Enterprise class services are now well within reach for even the smallest companies. I am a business owner, and I dislike necessary changes as much as anyone else does. Sometimes I procrastinate, but I am rarely glad that I did. If you are interested in an assessment of what you have, a second opinion, or budgetary numbers for 2013 planning, let’s have a conversation.
“Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow."
