Based in Rockville, MD, SysArc is the preferred provider of network support services, computer repair and technical support services to government contractors throughout Maryland, Virginia and the Washington DC area and frequently teams with PVBS. Contact Tim Brennan via email at tbrennan@sysarc.com if you have any questions.
In these challenging economic times, companies are trying to limit capital expenditures whenever possible and many are postponing further investment in their technology infrastructure. Is this the best strategy for your organization and are there better options?
It is certainly understandable to try and postpone spending during cash f low challenges. The answer to this question is, it depends. If your current infrastructure is performing well, is stable and your employees are not complaining about lost productivity because your systems are crashing or they are running slow, then it might not make sense to invest in new systems. Since the average life expectancy of a server is 3-5 years, a desktop is 3-5 years, and a laptop is 2-4 years, most companies only need to address the issue of obsolescence and replacement every few years. Organizations that follow industry best practices typically replace 20-25% of their IT equipment each year to stay current and then amortize the cost over a 4-5 year period.
The operating system and applications that are running on the server or desktop/laptop also need to be reviewed during any replacement/upgrade consideration as they might be outdated and no longer supported. For example, if you use Microsoft Windows for your server operating system, it should be version Server 2003 or later. However, there are still a number of companies that are chugging along using older custom application that operate on 10-year old technology.
If, on the other hand, you are experiencing poor response time, system crashes, downtime, or other problems, you may be sacrificing productivity and revenue for the relatively lower cost of new equipment. Specifically, the cost of replacing your ailing technology will be far less than the ongoing cost to support and maintain the old equipment.
In order to provide you with additional insight into the overall health of your infrastructure, a high-level Network Assessment should be completed regularly (every 1 or 2 years). An Assessment will not only help determine the current state your environment, but it will often include specific recommendations to enhance and optimize your technology in order to more fully support your business initiatives. This type of assessment can be done in a few hours for small environments and a few days for larger, more complex environments.
Filed under: Government Contractors, Products Tagged: | server, Sysarc, technology refresh.PVBS
