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The Risks Of Running Old PCs

In this day and age, technology moves fast and its vital to keep up with changes. The risks of running old PCs can be costly and wasting your time. At Cambridge Support, we have over 30 years’ experience in ensuring that we and our clients are kept up to date. Our experts constantly review tech news and apply it to our business. You should never ignore update notifications and always be mindful of how old your PC is. Therefore, we’ll explain in this article helpful tips of how you can stay ahead and reduce risk.

What Are The Risks?

The risks of running old PCs could be sectioned into three categories, hardware failure, viruses, and compatibility issues. Ageing hardware such as computers, laptops, servers, and printers can all present problems if they are not replaced. Particularly PCs, when they become old and outdated, they struggle to run newer software. This is because the hardware remains static, but software requirements may increase with updated versions. Therefore, Cambridge Support typically recommend replacing your PC every four to five years to reduce any performance lack.

Viruses and spyware always pose a threat to every business. Older operating systems such as Windows XP and Windows 7 do not receive security updates. This means, any PC that is still running such systems will be more susceptible to viruses and spyware. Read our blog on why windows updates are so important to learn more.

Lastly, the risks of running old PCs can pose compatibility issues for legacy applications and operating systems. This will likely cause them to stop working or require custom support.

If you feel unsure what to do with your old PC, please email us at ask@cambridgesupport.com and we’ll be happy to help.

Plan Ahead

Planning can save costly mistakes in the future. A long-term IT strategy would become very helpful in planning. Our IT experts would be very happy to help you establish a service life for your device, device refreshes and more.  

Another aspect to consider is external influences. Currently (September 2021) there is a global chip shortage. Semiconductor chips have spread from computers to many appliances we all have in our homes. The current demand for these has surpassed supply and it is not so easy to simply open up a new chip manufacturing factory to meet the demand. However, there is a solution, planning ahead.

Overall, if you suspect that you may need new hardware in the next 6 months, we strongly advise that you put your order in now. Contact us now for help.

Increased Costs

The risks of running old PCs are increased costs. At some point everything becomes out of date, but technology ages at a much faster rate than most items we own. If computers aren’t broken, they’re not expensive to maintain. However, they are expensive to repair if they are without warranty and it’s often more viable to replace depending on the age. Older computers are more prone to hardware failures and are often not covered by a warranty. This means that they’ll not only cost you money, but also aggravate your employees. Employees can become frustrated and thus productivity can decrease.  

Productivity

The use of old devices that are no longer fit for purpose affects productivity which may have a financial impact on your business. Old computers could be costing companies 30-40 hours of productive time a year. Updates, repairs, security fixes and maintenance issues are common in all computers. For an old computer such aspects can reduce productivity. Ensure that your team uses modern devices that are fit for purpose. This has a lasting effect on your team’s productivity and their trust in your infrastructure.

How Cambridge Support Can Help

At Cambridge Support we are experts in IT. We can offer expert advice on when it’s time to change your PC and upgrade its software. We can assess your current IT systems and practices and provide detailed reports and solutions. Therefore, we have extensive experience in many security focused services. Cambridge Support offer Cyber Essentials, security audits and Microsoft 365 audits. We would be happy to review your current security and determine if there are any areas for improvement.

If you have any questions about anything in this article, we would love to hear them and will be more than happy to discuss. To find out more, please contact us on 01223 921 000, or email us at ask@cambridgesupport.com

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