The Ageing PC Effect - Exposing Financial Impact for Small Businesses

• Figure 1: SMB Wheel of Business Priorities
• Figure 2: Averge Cost of Maintaining an Older PC
• Figure 3: Productive Hours Lost due to Older PCs
• Figure 4: Top 10 Older PC related Problems
• Figure 5: Impact of Newer PCs on Small Businesses
• Figure 6: Number of Simultaneous Applications

• Table 1: Financial Impact to Small Businesses 

Small businesses are continuing their sharp focus on cost control and cash conservation. However, “cost” is sometimes a tricky item to nail down. Too often, small business owners focus on short term costs and while in most cases this approach is absolutely valid, at times it can lead to situations that cost them more. The choice between maintaining older PCs and replacing them with newer PCs is one such area. However, these small businesses should re-evaluate this decision given the higher cost of maintaining older PCs which has a larger cumulative effect on the budget than purchasing newer PCs with latest technology. Techaisle conducted a global survey of 736 small businesses in six countries to understand the comparative differences in costs of maintaining older PCs and newer PCs, associated quantifiable productivity lost and the impact of newer PCs. In light of the issues faced by PCs 4 years or older, replacing, rather than repairing and upgrading is a much more prudent course of action. The key to this is to consider both direct and indirect costs resulting from PC downtime.