There is a little bit in all of us that wants to believe that commercials and internet ads are telling us the whole truth when they say “there is an easier and less expensive way to purchase our business technology”. What those promos don’t tell you, and we often find out the hard way is, you get what you pay for.
There is a story about a man who hired a plumber to fix his furnace. They went into the basement, and the plumber looked at the furnace, walked around it, and studied it from different angles. Finally, he took a large hammer out of his toolbox, found just the right place on the furnace, and WHACK! The furnace came to life, started chugging away, and heat started coming out of the vents. The plumber wrote out a bill and handed it to the man. It read: Fix furnace, $100.00. The customer said, “What, are you nuts? All you did was hit it with a hammer! I want an itemized invoice.” The plumber wrote out another bill and handed it to the man. This one read:
- Hit furnace with hammer: $10.00
- Knowing where to hit: $90.00
You’re not paying for the hours spent. You’re paying for the years of experience that allowed them to be able to do that work in the first place.*
Aging technology is expensive but most companies are constantly being challenged with whether to keep old systems or to upgrade. The temptation to hang onto the old, much past prime, can be overwhelming when comparing a negative number on first quarter earnings to a system that appears to be working just fine.
The reality is all technology has a life cycle. Sometimes the cost when we wait until that cycle is past its prime can be extremely damaging.
- Consider that old software, without proper upgrades, may not protect your data leaving you susceptible to spyware, viruses and theft.
- Realize that new technology comes with advancements and innovations that can help your business grow.
- Integrating new technology proactively will save your business time and money over the long haul.
A business shouldn’t have to cut costs in one area to advance in another. Understanding hidden technology costs can actually help you reduce expenditures and allow you to reallocate resources. A partnership with the right tech experts can keep you ahead of the game. Consider a Managed IT approach. This keeps the experienced experts available when an emergency strikes but also has them working in the background to ensure data backups are completed, hardware is functioning and software is compatible across your entire network.
“Employees spend 30 minutes per week trying to fix PC problems or helping a co-worker do the same,” according to Compass America.
Most companies believe their cost ends at the point of purchase however research shows that a computer’s base price typically represents less than 20% of its total cost of ownership. Remember, you’re not paying just for the new Windows upgrade, you’re paying for a knowledgeable team to alert you of the compatibility issues you may face when you upgrade. They’ve done the research on your software, your hardware and your projected business needs. Business technology is expensive because you’re investing in growing your business.
*Story pulled from levelteninteractive.com