Slow and Outdated Machines Are Costly: Why You Need to Invest in New Tech
It’s a fact. Continuing to run those old, obsolete, slow, and outdated machines is actually costing your business money—and creating security risks that could potentially cost you your entire livelihood.
You may be thinking you’re saving money by putting off upgrades. However, investing in up-to-date technology—from individual computer workstations to a user-friendly VoIP phone system—is the financially savvy thing to do.
Here are the three biggest reasons you need to consider dumping your business’s outdated technology equipment in favor of the latest and greatest. (Spoiler alert: you will save money despite the upfront investment, especially if you work with a reliable managed IT services provider for purchasing and implementation!)
Reason #1: Outdated Technology is a Huge Security Risk
If you regularly read our blog, you’ll notice that we often promote data security and general cybersecurity awareness. While it may feel a little alarmist at times, data disasters happen to small businesses like yours all too frequently.
And, whether data loss is caused by hackers or simple human error, up to 80% of businesses that suffer a significant data breach will go out of business within the following year. Scary, right?
Now for an even scarier fact. If you’re using outdated technology, such as unsupported older versions of computer operating systems like Windows 7—which just lost support in January 2020—your chances of being hacked are significantly elevated.
Small businesses are already the primary target for cyberattacks, and continuing to use unsupported software leaves yours particularly vulnerable.
And That Risk Equals Potentially Big Expenses
Still not sure whether you should be concerned? Consider this headline from late 2019: cyberattacks now cost businesses about $200,000 per incident. We encourage you to price new computers and business networking equipment and weigh those costs against that $200k number. Suddenly the cost of upgrading likely seems quite affordable by comparison.
Don’t know where to go to start pricing equipment? Reach out to us here at EZComputer Solutions for your free consultation and quote for services.
Reason #2: Old Computers Waste Your Employees’ Time
In an earlier blog post about how to determine whether your business might benefit from IT consulting, we asked the question, “do your employees spend significant time fighting with their computers?”
Perhaps you think your employees are always on task, but consider that the average amount of lost productivity per employee, per day due to computer troubleshooting is about 22 minutes!
Old computers naturally slow down with age, as they become congested with more programs, larger files, and higher demands on their obsolete processing power. Programs hang or crash, and the outdated machines themselves likely require frequent restarts.
All of these extra moments spent waiting for computers to catch up with their users certainly add up.
Outdated Phone Systems Are Not Much Better
Likewise, old landline phone systems are reducing your efficiency, especially if your business has grown and reached the limits of your expansion capabilities.
Every time your receptionist has to put someone on hold and call around searching for the requested party, those are minutes wasted.
A modern VoIP system allows you to see the status of all of your employees so that you can avoid unnecessarily transferring calls. Plus, it unifies your calling, voicemail, and fax messaging all in one place, saving you time. (Not to mention the fact that it’s MUCH less expensive than a traditional landline phone system.)
If you’re interested in saving both time and money on your phone system, learn more about VoIP now.
Reason #3: Outdated Technology Makes You Look Bad to Customers
Your continued use of old, slow computer systems can create a negative experience for your customers and prospects. After all, how many times have you heard a customer service agent apologize to you that their company’s system “was down,” and you would have to try again later? Annoying, right?
Now, consider whether your employees are the ones frequently uttering those apologies. If they are, you can be assured that your customers will likely check out your competition next time.
While you may have opinions about the world being too impatient these days, the truth is that we’re all walking around with impressive mini-computers in our pockets, thanks to smartphones. And, many people expect their interactions with a given company—and its technology resources—to be as seamless as interacting with their phone or other mobile devices.
Your Tech Can Be Functioning Well AND Saving You Money—Ask Us How!
At the heart of our EZComputer Solutions IT Consulting services is a genuine belief that your technology can save your business money and provide a competitive, growth-fueling advantage.
Upgrading your outdated machines is an investment—especially if it’s been a few years. But, we can help you with purchasing that fits your budget, no matter what that budget looks like. Once you’re operating with up-to-date technology, we can also help you keep it that way in the future, for much less money than you’d expect.
Reach out to us today to learn more about our approach to helping small businesses invest more responsibly in their tech resources. And, don’t forget to download our free e-book on lowering your business’s IT costs.
