These days, most companies have the right idea when it comes to the life expectancy of their product and the cost of replacement parts versus the cost of a full product replacement.  BIC® sells disposable lighters because it is more cost effective to buy another one rather than buying more fluids, flints, etc.  This is starting to become the case with most computer manufacturers and their products as well.

When the question comes up “How many years should I expect to get out of this computer?” the general consensus fluctuates depending on who you talk to.  With my many years of experience in pc repair and in sales, there is a number that myself and the engineers here at Everon are comfortable sharing.

On a normal basis, the normal lifespan of a computer, whether it be a laptop or desktop, is 3-5 years with normal usage.  If you are using a laptop, this number might be lower only because there is a higher risk of human error (dropping, spilling, etc).  In most instances, the first piece of hardware that will go is the power supply.  To replace the power supply, this is a fairly simple repair that is generally covered under the manufacturer’s warranty or in the extended warranty if one was purchased.  From there, electrical components soon go south.  Depending on usage, stress, location, temperature, and environmental factors, these will also determine the lifespan of your computer.

With proper care, maintenance, and upgrading, the possibility of getting more years out of your computer increases.  7 years down the road, your computer maybe be still running like new or slower than you may remember it, but without hardware upgrades, the speed is the least of your concerns.  With the world of technology changing ever so much, it is hard to keep up, but after the computer hits the 3-5 year mark, hardware versus software compatibility is where we run into the problem.  The latest tax software that you need for your company or the newest version of the document processing suite that isused daily, soon become impossible to purchase because your equipment is too out dated to meet the system requirements.

The statements made above go right along with the lifespan of a Windows server. Environmental conditions play a big part in the well-being of your server as well as hardware compatibility.  In my mind, the life span of a server should not be measured in how long it remains able to perform the tasks given to it, which might be a long time if the task I something that never changes like DNS server.  Whereas, I feel the lifespan should be measured by the amount of time that the hardware is supportable. As a company, one would have to balance out the cost of continually replacing the parts to keep it doing what you need it to do until you are able to go out and purchase one that will give you another 3-5 years without worrying about upgrading.

With all this in mind, up-to-date equipment goes hand-in-hand with quality employees.  Both are a necessity in the success of your business.  There will be following blog posts about when is the right time to upgrade, the impact not upgrading will have on your company, what you will gain out of keeping current, and why it is important to have a trusted IT firm to keep on top of this for you versus trying to do all this on your own.

If you have PCs or laptops that you need to replace.  Now is the time to take advantage of an offer from Everon to save $100 per machine on the setup.  By trusting and IT firm to setup the PC, you can be sure the right software and applications are installed and as well as your email and user settings configured for you.  This was you can be sure it’s going to work properly and can get back to running your business.  To register for this offer and see more details, go to : http://www.everonitsupport.com/springcleanoffer/.