5 Ways to Upgrade Your Business

This is a guest post.

All businesses, from the biggest corporations to the smallest privately-held companies, need to remain agile when it comes to technology.

Upgrading desktop computers, servers, and network infrastructure is essential to maintaining efficiency and growth.

Here is a look at five ways any company can upgrade in order to stay current, save money, and thrive.

1. New desktops: One thread that runs through any tech article like this is that technology ages quickly. If your organization’s desktops are over three years old, it’s time to start planning for replacement. Old desktops run down through constant use, installation of memory-eating applications and through the increasing hardware demands that new software makes on them. Businesses need to come up with a plan to rotate new computers into their desktop environment in order to increase efficiency and keep up with the demands of today’s robust apps. Converting to a thin client and cloud setup is now the way to go if your company is running five systems or more.

2. New servers: Dell servers and server platforms by other major hardware builders are available to fit the budget, software, and hardware needs of any company regardless of size. Adding new servers or replacing old ones with better hardware can help a business stay organized and effective. They will pay for themselves in this way.

3. Bottleneck checks: If your organization is experiencing diminished network performance, it may be time to look at network infrastructure. Replacing old routers and switches with new technology or adding switches to segment a network adds speed and efficiency to network performance. The less time employees spend waiting for file transfers, downloads, and big attachments the more time they can spend working and making money.

4. Virtualize servers: Virtualization is a way that companies can get more “bang for their buck,” allowing one server to act as many, stretching a technology budget even further. Smaller companies can’t often afford multiple physical servers they might need to grow. Buying one powerful server and using it as a virtual host that runs multiple virtual servers – functionally indistinguishable from physically discrete hardware – is a great way to expand functionality without spending more. Larger companies can save money by replacing hardware with virtual servers, lowering costs of power and maintenance and increasing disaster recovery performance.

5. Free apps: Think outside the box and research free applications that can help your business be more productive and save money. Instant messaging applications like Yahoo Messenger and AOL IM are much more efficient than walking to a coworker’s desk. Skype is free, so it’s much more affordable than a long distance call to communicate with employees in the field. Free antivirus apps like Microsoft Security Essentials and Avast are a great alternative to paid products and work just as well.

Tagged as: business technology, small business