Keeping Your Business Current with Technology

Staying updated with the latest technology has been our cultural obsession for a long time now, and the world of business is no exception to this rule. However according to Neil Camenker unless your business model demands having the latest and greatest technological systems, I would encourage exercising a certain degree of restraint when it comes to staying up to date.

Because of the expense involved in buying new systems, a conservative approach can pay off dividends. While employees may be clamoring for the hottest PCs on the market to replace their current workstations, perhaps upgrading them would serve your purposes just as well. Part of your long-term technological strategy could include purchasing systems that are designed to be upgradable; buying a new system once every 4 years and upgrading 2 years after the purchase, rather than buying all new systems every other year. Not only would this reduce the costs of the systems themselves, but it will also increase employee productivity and decrease training time because the employees will already be familiar with how the systems work.

Computers go out of date so fast that keeping them current is a constant struggle. It seems like every release of the operating system slows them down more. They are a continual source of frustration to employees, and can hinder productivity when they don’t function the way they’re supposed to. This doesn’t always justify replacing them, however, as new computers are just as likely to have quirks and problems that make them frustrating for employees to deal with. Something that you may wish to consider is investing in some IT employees to handle computer problems.

Software is always being updated, and the different companies compete to release the programs with the most functions. New software tends to use up more computing resources than older software, so when upgrading software it can create the need to purchase new computers as well.

Networking equipment has a shelf-life just like any other piece of technology, and needs to be updated from time to time to keep up with new technologies and increased demand.

Servers run the web technology that your customers interact with, and are therefore an important thing to keep updated. As your web traffic and customer base increases, you should upgrade your servers to ensure that they have the capacity to handle the new demand being placed on them.

The web applications customers use on the web are some of the most important technological applications a company will ever buy, because they represent the company to the world and must therefore function perfectly. This is something that you should never skimp on.

Watch out for the Diderot Effect: the perception that one new purchase necessitates making further purchases. It’s not uncommon to see companies upgrading their entire range of technological systems at one time—an amazingly expensive endeavor.

By Neil Camenker