Email the Editor    Email a Friend    Print this Page 

Intel Corp. is warning small businesses against putting off spending on new computers in the wake of a recession.

In a media Webcast it hosted, the chip-maker said even the smallest of businesses should plan for a hardware refresh cycle of about every three years and be wary of relying on "Frankenstein PCs."

It cited statistics from its recent U.S. study comparing PCs that are older than three years to those that aren't as old across several categories -- power usage, performance and security risks.

The newer computers performed better in every scenario. So small businesses should probably get rid of their old PCs, says Scott Alee, small business marketing manager at Intel.

"We call them Frankenstein PCs when you start keep things patched up with duct tape and barbed wire," he says. "Most small businesses will use a computer until it breaks, or they can't stand it anymore."

The study report indicated that computers older than three years were worse off in many ways -- 4.5 times more likely to experience hard drive failure, draw about twice as much power on average, and cost 1.65 times more to repair compared to a newer PC. "Small businesses are having to re-evaluate their spending" in the wake of the recession, Allee says.

According to at least one Canadian analyst, however, a three-year refresh rate for PCs isn't appropriate today when firms are in cost-cutting mode. "Five to six years is the new average," says Robert Garmaise senior vice-president of research and strategy at London, Ont.-based Info-Tech Research Group.

But to make a longer refresh cycle work, the analyst urged IT departments to take steps to avoid machine degradation. "Re-image every year, as sometimes degradation has as much to do with software as hardware."

He said the businesses should also look very carefully at the cost-to-serve involved in small hardware tweaks, such as RAM upgrades – and schedule these intelligently. Also determine your ability to purchase the machines off lease, he said. "At the end of three years, a nice migration path would be to buy a third of  your equipment back."

Garmaise said Info-Tech talks to hundreds of companies each month and finds that Canadian firms often over-specify their hardware. "For instance, most employees would not need to use many of the capabilities of a $1,200 desktop."

He urged businesses to base their new PC purchases on tougher criteria regarding the capabilities employees really require. "All features and functions are generally not required for all users."Some Info-Tech clients, he said, use a two-tier purchase method – where pricier, higher-quality, higher-capability PCs are bought for power users, and more basic machines for the rest. "Cascading is another technique. It involves buying the same type of PC for everyone, but offering power users the new stuff."

share: