With Technology, You Get What You Pay For
Think about the last time you did some painting around the house… did you invest in high-quality paint? Or go with something a little cheaper?
It’s understandable if you tried to keep your costs down. When you buy premium paint, it can quickly cost a lot to do your bedroom in a new color.
But think about how long that cheap paint lasted. Didn’t take too long to peel, did it? And the sheen didn’t hold up against much abuse either. More likely than not, you had to buy more of the cheap paint to touch up the finish here and there over time.
In the end, do you think the cheap paint was worth it? Probably not.
The same thinking applies to your IT…
The Risk Of Underspending On IT
No one wants to spend money they don’t feel they have to.
Especially when it comes to a carefully planned budget, you hate to have to go over it in any way. That’s why, in business, corners are often cut when and where they can be.
This commonly happens with IT.
People often rely on cheap, second hand or inherited technology. Or, they don’t even bother upgrading when expected, and use the same old tech for years on end, even after they start causing problems.
What you may not know is that saving money by buying cheap may cost you more in the long run. The fact is that cheap hardware typically doesn’t last very long – you might get a couple of years of service out of one, whereas better-made brands can last more than 5 years.
And that doesn’t even take performance into consideration…
3 Problems With Cheap IT
Underinvesting in critical IT infrastructure components — such as switches, routers, and firewalls — can lead to a number of serious consequences:
1. Performance Issues: This is simple – a cheap device likely won’t run as well as you want it to. When this affects infrastructure components that are responsible for your Internet connection, it inevitably leads to system lag and downtime, which keeps you and your staff from accessing your data and getting your work done.
2. Risk Of Failure: Cheap hardware won’t be as reliable or as long-lasting as its better-made counterparts. That puts users at higher risk of hardware failure, which will at least require maintenance, and will eventually require outright replacement. This means more downtime, and more money spent on support and replacement hardware.
3. Lack of Security: The less you spend on a given piece of hardware, the less secure it will be. In order to harness better security standards and technologies, you need to invest in it. By opting for a less expensive option, you’re often putting your data at risk.
Don’t Rely On Cheap Business Technology
The point of all this is that you shouldn’t assume that cheap hardware will be that much less expensive in the long run. It’s all about considering each and every cost that comes with a given computer. Expensive hardware may require more capital at the start, but it’ll mean less work, stress and ongoing expenses over the course of its life.
The good news is that, when it comes to procuring, maintaining and optimizing your hardware, you don’t have to do it alone. Rea & Associates is available to support your hardware management, as well as provide a number of other services:
1. Comprehensive cybersecurity services, delivering a complete platform of security products, as well as End User Training (via KnowBe4), robust Disaster Recovery Planning built on onsite and cloud encrypted storage, advanced email security (via ProofPoint), and double-layered anti-virus protection with TrendMicro and SentinelOne
2. A dedicated and expert team of technicians that will monitor, manage, and resolve any issues that occur with your systems.
3. Monthly file restoration testing for all our clients’ servers, as well as a yearly complete server restore testing, which is included with all managed service plans.
4. Our team of technicians delivers exceptional customer service based on mandatory in-depth training, which makes sure our clients are properly attended to.
5. We deliver fully HIPAA-compliant IT services, adhering to the same security requirements as the healthcare clients we work with.
6. We will operate as your external IT department, or in concert with your internal team, augmenting their resources and capabilities to make sure that everything IT-based in your business is being taken care of.
The point is that you don’t have to handle your hardware, or any aspect of your IT, all on your own. Put Rea & Associates’s expertise to work for you.
