Keeping up with technology has to be one of the hardest things to do. There is a point of diminishing return, that is to say, when the cost of a project far outweighs both the benefit and the need. Here are a few cases in point, and how we work to keep your dollars working for you.
In reviewing this methodology, these are the components to consider:
Evaluate the useful life of the hardware platform. We see server hardware lasting from five toseven years on average. A little extra RAM. CPU and disk may make the difference between an ‘early retirement’ and a full life.
Look at the number of major software releases in the useful life of the hardware platform. What we mean by major is fairly intuitive to us, but not to all. Here are a few examples:
In employing the ‘Every Other Upgrade’ methodology, just follow either the Orange or Blue tracks, but not both.
Common Sense Factor. We now apply some seriouscommon sense.
Reasons to upgrade are as follows:
- I need the new version because it will help my business and it is worth the cost
- I am replacing the hardware and it only makes sense to bite off the upgrade as the old hardware gives me a great fallback position for transition
- IMPORTANT NOTE 1: If we are talking PC operating systems, you MUST make certain that ALL necessary applicationsare supported
- IMPORTANT NOTE 2: If we are talking Server Operating systems or SQL versions, you need to ensure that the applications and databases will support the newer versions.
The ‘other’ costs to always consider are the business interruption time, new software relicensing costs, and the labor - both in house and outsourced. In other words, there may be a ‘better’ time to do this from the cash flow and business cycle (slower time) that may make more business sense.
If you need any help in your decision-making, give us a call!
