Hardware Wars

It never fails that when someone get a new machine in the office, everyone else expects the same thing.  The first question your neighbor may ask when you get a shiny new PC is “When will I get my machine upgraded?”  Maybe you are the one doing the asking.

Who gets the newest machine?  Why did some get upgrades and not others?  Who has the pull to demand new hardware?  When people envy others,what do you have to do about it?

I call this Hardware Wars.  It is the process that never ends in most firms.  Just when the hardware can keep up with the software, then the software makes more demands.  Just when the hardware makes a leap in speed, the software gobbles it up.

Hardware will always need to be upgraded.  It will always happen in spurts.  You cannot replace every machine at the same time.  There will always be some that are a step behind the leading edge.

Here are some tips for addressing the needs of users, the limits of your budget and the demands of the software.  I have used these or heard about them from others.  Some are industry norms and some are just creative ideas. Some may work in your environment and others may not.

Replace One Third of your PC’s per Year

Keep a list of who has the oldest machines and try to cycle them out of the firm at a rate of one third each year.  This way no single person has a machine longer than 3 years. Put it into your budget.  Make sure you progress along the replacement path unless there is a constraint on your budget.

Deploy hardware based on Task

Not based on title or pecking order.  Get your firm to understand that the most demanding users are most often the lowest ones on the org chart.  Start your hardware replacements on those that need it the most.  Those that are pushing the systems to the limit.

Roll down Machines

When you order new hardware – get the best you can afford and give it to the best users.  Keep feeding the ones that are the hungriest for the speed.  Roll down last years machine to someone that is just doing MS Office.  Do not buy lower level  machines (except for expansion of staff).  Buy the best and give it to the best.  A super user might end up getting a new machine every year.

Replace – Don’t Upgrade

Old hardware is a drain and often it does not pay to upgrade the old stuff.  Unless you are just adding memory, you often will start a domino effect of replacing other parts.  Trying to improve old hardware piece by peice can get costly.  With the low cost of today’s hardware, look into replacement instead of repair or upgrade.