We get it: sinking money into new equipment isn't at the top of your to-do list. But old or faulty equipment can cause larger issues such as downtime and security threats. Underinvestment in IT will cost you time and money and add additional threats.
This article highlights three questions to consider for equipment upgrades. At the end of the article, we'll also share details on Hardware-as-a-Service, a new alternative to purchasing equipment.
When To Upgrade Equipment
While it's not an exact science, there are areas you can examine to determine if your equipment should be upgraded.
Is your security at risk?
Equipment with an expired warranty poses a security risk to your organization. Manufacturers constantly send out firmware patches to deal with vulnerabilities in their hardware. However, this support ends once newer hardware versions come onto the market.
In addition, depending on your industry, hardware upgrades may be required to maintain compliance as there may be new regulations on security and storage that your current IT might not support.
Is your hardware failing?
While it may be evident that replacing failing hardware is essential, we encourage you to replace failing hardware. Whether the hardware no longer works correctly because of age or strain from consistent use, newer hardware causes less frustration and increased security.
Is your business growing?
You might add additional cloud storage or a few pieces of equipment to keep up with a rapidly growing staff and client base. This hardware might be newer than models currently in service. Simultaneously upgrading your gear ensures your team won't run into interruptions.
Alternatives to Purchases
Purchasing new equipment isn't the only way to upgrade your hardware. Owning hardware can significantly drain resources and upgrade equipment through flat monthly fees. Hence the emergence of the hardware-as-a-service model (HaaS).
It's part of why cloud computing has grown so quickly: individuals and organizations can access hardware they otherwise cannot afford, freeing up funding for operational costs instead of capital investment.
Purchasing the hardware is only part of the equation. There are costs associated with installation, setup, learning the new hardware, etc. The HaaS model includes these fees, typically hidden, into a single flat rate.
With the HaaS model, your provider can maintain an inventory of hardware. Should something happen to your equipment, your tech provider quickly deploys a replacement, allowing for a longer use-life and better value.
How Anteris Can Help
Before you upgrade your equipment, it is essential to have an IT strategy defined and in place. Working with a strategic IT provider will help your organization make the right hardware choices for your business objectives and goals.
Before you upgrade your equipment, it is essential to decide if purchasing the equipment is the best option, or if moving your hardware infrastructure to an operating expense model is a better one.
Working with Anteris, our HaaS structure allows for greater availability of equipment. Since we maintain an inventory of related models, we can quickly and efficiently dispatch replacements when required. Hardware-as-a-Service provides a longer use-life and more excellent value for the team.
In addition, we can combine hardware together to create greater resilience. We can do this in a variety of ways such as linking onsite servers to our datacenter or installing multiple servers on the same site so if one fails, others are online. These solutions could easily cost up to $100,000, putting a major strain on your bottom line. At Anteris, we've already made these investments—and more–allowing out Clients to access enterprise-level technology at a fraction of the cost.
That's the benefit of Haas: being able to turn what would normally be a huge capital expense into an operating expense.
If you're ready to talk about upgrading your IT setup or have more questions, we're here.
Let us make your technology freeing, not frustrating.
