Business owners need to give serious consideration to their hardware maintenance and software assurance policies. If you refuse the extended warranty on a new vacuum cleaner, and the vacuum cleaner fails, you can just go buy a new vacuum cleaner. With technology, things are not so simple. The affect that poorly maintained hardware or software can have on your business goes far beyond the mere cost of replacing it.

Let’s consider some of the benefits of maintenance:

Maintenance is insurance - Most hardware maintenance agreements include a replacement option in case the hardware fails. A next-business-day option guarantees that hardware failure issues will be resolved within 24 hours.

Access to support – If you decide to stick with an older software program, it may not be eligible for technical support from the manufacturer. Hanging on to ancient software programs isn’t good for business if it means paying extra for technical support or, worse, having to resolve the issues yourself.

Better than a warranty – Maintenance or software assurance agreements usually provide not only the right to remediation or replacement if your hardware or software fails, but also the latest upgrades or newest codes. This improved functionality can have a significant effect on your employees’ productivity and your company’s bottom line.

Reduced support costs – Having a current maintenance agreement means spending less time requesting technical support. Your IT staff should have the necessary training to integrate hardware and software into your company’s infrastructure. With a current maintenance agreement, your IT staff can interact directly with the hardware or software manufacturer, which helps them to solve problems faster. Without a current maintenance agreement, chronic problems that fall outside your IT staff’s area of expertise could take hours to resolve, which could have a devastating effect on your ability to do business.

When you’re debating whether or not to update your hardware or software agreement, there are a few things you should take into consideration.

What’s the cost of a failure? If your hardware or software fails, how much will it affect your business? Which would cost you more in the long run, replacing the hardware or software or lost productivity and business operations? For example, how much money would a store lose if its old cash registers stopped working, and they had no maintenance contract to cover repairs? Processing sales by hand is time consuming, and it’s certain that some customers would not want to wait. Make sure you have current maintenance contracts for anything that’s vital to your company’s operations, such as core switch, primary business application and production servers.

What’s the cost of maintenance? Each hardware manufacturer has its own maintenance and support options. For example, if a company has 50 versions of the same firewall deployed, it may be more cost effective to forgo the NBD support option and purchase an extra firewall as a spare. You could also see if it’s possible to get a software assurance or phone support option at a lower cost.

How skilled is your IT staff? Determine your IT staff’s weakest areas and backup those areas with increased maintenance support from the manufacturer.

How much down time can your business tolerate? Many manufacturers have four-hour responses and 24/7 options for those businesses that have to be up and running as quickly as possible.

You can do without the extended warranty that comes with a new microwave. But your business can’t and shouldn’t have to function without current maintenance agreements for your mission-critical hardware and software products.

Many business owners fail to understand why it is important to manage the life cycles of their IT systems and keep technology up to date.  Often, they will postpone hardware refreshes during difficult economic times to save money. This is a mistake. They may save a little money today, but in the long run, the cost of repairs and technical support could end up costing two or even three times what they originally saved. That doesn’t include the losses incurred as a result of decreased employee productivity.

Here are seven reasons why keeping your company’s IT infrastructure up to date is so important:

1. Prevents unexpected down time Nothing lasts forever. Hardware is bound break down sooner or later.  Hardware that’s used often is at increased risk.  Idle employees affect your company’s bottom line. Making sure they have the latest equipment and software will increase productivity as well as your profit margin.
2. Keeps critical systems under warranty IT systems that are critical to business operations should always have a current warranty or maintenance contract, just in case something needs to be repaired or replaced. Old hardware may have expired warranties or maintenance contracts and may not be eligible for current ones.
3. Improves performance Hardware refreshes provide access to improvements including, faster processing, increased memory, more storage and newer technology.  These improvements allow systems to operate at peak performance, which saves time and allows you to give your customers to best possible service.
4. New functionality Updated hardware and software generally provide access to innovations and security improvements that, again, help you to give your customers high quality service. Anything that helps you keep up with or even surpass the competition is worth the time and expense to do.
5. Reduces operating expenses Often, the cost of hardware replacements can be offset by reduced operating expenses.  For example, if a $1,000 desktop replacement allows an employee who makes $30/hour to increase efficiency by 10 minutes per hour, the cost of that desktop will be recuperated within 5 weeks and provide a savings of $8,600 over the rest of the year.
6. Reduces support costs Older hardware tends to be slower and more prone to failures than newer hardware. So, companies that do not replace older systems will require technical support more often.  Even when support is available at a fixed rate, the more time spent on fixing problems translates into less time spent on proactive service that would ultimately ends up costing the company less time and money.
7. Happy employees    One of the biggest drawbacks of an IT system failure is simply the affect it has on employees.  Also known as the annoyance factor or frustration factor, this is the greatest driver behind system upgrades.  Savvy business owners understand the value of keeping employees happy and productive.

Given the cost savings generated by regular hardware refreshes, it should be unimaginable for any IT company – even during tough economic times – to consider cutting corners by delaying hardware refreshes or software upgrades.

Are you looking for a trustworthy IT support firm to help your business?  Contact us today to learn more about how our team of IT Professionals can help ensure the lifecycle of your IT systems are maintained properly.

The story of the lost or stolen laptop with ultra-sensitive information on it is all too common. A research study conducted in 2008 by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by Dell, estimated that business travelers lost more than 12,000 laptops per week in US airports. Those numbers have surely increased in the four years since. If you haven’t already, now is a good time to start taking steps to minimize incidences of human error.

The first step is probably the most obvious. Password protect all laptops, tablet PCs and smart devices. And don’t use easy to guess passwords. Complicate them by using capital and lower case letters, symbols and numbers. Of course, the more complex the password, the more likely you are to forget it. Keep your passwords written down and locked away in a secure place, preferably away from your desk.

Another way to keep sensitive files safe is by encrypting them or password protecting them. But keep in mind that this works best if the password protecting your documents is different from the one you use to launch Windows on your computer. You could even create a different password for each document or file folder.

Laptops with biometric security add an extra layer of protection. That doesn’t mean you should stop using passwords. Biometrics serve as supplements to passwords and should never be used as replacements for them.

The best way to keep anyone from being able to access important information is by not storing anything of vital importance on a portable device, especially a smart phone. It’s better to store files on a thumb drive. As an extra precaution, keep the thumb drive in your pocket or around your neck, as many are sold with lanyards. That way, if a laptop, tablet or smart device is lost or stolen, the files are still secure.

Business travel is a must for some people, so it’s good to know that there are security devices that can help you keep track of your laptop in busy airport terminals, coffee shops or wherever you may be. One is a laptop cable. Laptop cables come in many varieties and can be purchased for as little as $24 in places like Office Depot. With a laptop cable, you can secure your computer to a desk or table or bathroom sink. You can also buy a laptop security alarm that emits a loud noise when the laptop is moved or the alarm is tampered with.

Don’t rest on your laurels. New software and devices are being updated and created all the time. Update software programs and upgrade or replace security devices like locks, alarms, etc., so that you always have the latest protection.

Finally, educate your employees. Have a set of security guidelines. Post them in the break room, above the fax machine, the water cooler, etc. In addition, go over security the guidelines with your employees at least once a week. Make it fun. Have some sort of contest with a gift card to a local restaurant or coffee shop as the prize. Quiz your employees on the security procedures you’ve established. Whoever answers the most questions correctly wins the gift card. Using it as a way to unwind on Friday afternoon or get going on Monday morning could make it something your employees look forward to with anticipation rather than dread.

No matter how many precautions you take to protect your company’s vital information, if you don’t take steps to reduce incidences of human error, then it’s all for naught.