Take Your IT to the Next Level (Without Breaking the Bank)
IT infrastructure and equipment is an expensive, yet critical, operational component of any organization. Balancing strict IT budgets with the need to keep up with increasing performance demands is especially difficult for small and mid-sized organizations.
How can you save money while meeting the increasing demands of your users and mission-critical applications?
The Value of Virtualization
For many organizations, the temptation is to purchase equipment on short-term lease and continually replace it with the fastest, most recent technology. But sometimes, virtualization technology—like cloud servers—can save money in the long run.
For example, many college campuses are migrating to virtual networks to combat the challenges and costs that accompany the growth of physical servers. New applications demand more servers, which all require management, maintenance and security.
Not only can virtualization be more cost-effective and efficient, it boasts such benefits as migration without downtime, streamlined deployments, increased redundancy and fewer physical data centers, which ultimately means lower energy costs.
By investing in next-generation networks and IT backbones, organizations also are ready when new products and applications become available.
Combining Refurbished Equipment with Timely Warranties
Purchasing refurbished IT equipment has numerous advantages for organizations operating under strict budgets. Refurbished equipment provides the performance and reliability you need at a lower price than you could get from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
Buying refurbished systems versus new equipment enables IT departments to save critical dollars in their budgets for other projects—like software applications—that increase overall performance and productivity.
Most refurbished IT equipment is two to three years old and has come off short-term lease. Equipment undergoes a strict reconditioning process before it is available for resale. It is important to choose an accredited reseller—many resellers have OEM-certified technicians—that has cleaned, tested and reconfigured the equipment to identify and replace any potential technical issues or weak components.
Some resellers, like Aventis Systems, also offer extended warranty options that last through most IT buying cycles. Many of these warranties are up to three times longer than what the OEM offers.
When buying refurbished equipment, choose suppliers that offer up to a three-year warranty on servers and storage units and at least a one-year warranty on networking equipment and personal computers.
Upgrading at the Right Time
As organizations change and grow, their IT needs also shift. Generally speaking, hardware's lifespan will outlast the performance demands of your business. Your organization is more likely to upgrade your software and system because of increasing application needs, rather than actual component failure.
But balancing when to upgrade software and refresh hardware with product end-of-life and your organization's needs is a real challenge. When your IT equipment no longer meets your demands, when should you upgrade?
If your IT infrastructure is hindering overall productivity, upgrading can help your organization run faster and more efficiently. By upgrading memory and hard drives, for example, you can extend the life of your system and put off the need to buy new equipment.
As a general rule, if the upgrade is more than half the cost of a new model, replacement might be the most cost-effective solution.
Whether you're purchasing a new system, upgrading an existing one or replacing your system with refurbished equipment, the key is to have a long-term IT strategy. Having a blueprint for the future ultimately will save you a lot of money, time and frustration.
Aventis Systems' business-minded support team can help you execute that strategy by helping guide you through planning and procurement to delivery and deployment. Give us a call today at 1-855-AVENTIS.
