Ian McLeod: CIO, Douglas College
The choice to upgrade any hardware or software requires a number of considerations. For businesses, the first test is return on investment. An upgrade that pays the cost of upgrade back over an acceptable period of time, increases revenue or reduces cost is fairly easy to justify.
Often, upgrades are being considered because the hardware or software is at the end of its life. This happens to software when the current version is not going to be supported or updated any further. The new release may be covered by maintenance, or a new version may need to be purchased. Be aware that major software upgrades require significant testing and staff training. The look and feel of the upgraded software can also change significantly for customers and staff. Plan well and watch for possible incompatibilities with other software products that integrate together. Upgrading one product may cause additional, unplanned upgrades of others.
Servers and infrastructure hardware have a longer lifespan but eventually have to be upgraded to support software updates. Before doing a wholesale replacement, however, look into upgrades to memory, processors and other components that will extend a server's life.
Desktop hardware and operating systems are often the most difficult to assess, in terms of business need. With hardware (desktops, laptops, and tablets) increasing in power and capacity every few months, it's tempting to upgrade staff workstations constantly. In addition, operating systems and major office tools offer regular upgrades and new versions. Maintain a standard hardware and software environment, and ensure that individual staff members do not upgrade their work tools in an unplanned fashion. Try to maintain a three- to five-year replacement schedule for hardware, and upgrade OS versions at that time.
Jon Barber: CEO, Dynaworx
Navigating the waters of information technology upgrades can be a precarious endeavour. For optimal navigation, a business owner will need to have a solid grasp of their business goals, and the timeline required to implement any necessary changes to their topology. Having an IT consultant or department that's in tune with these business goals is a major component of any IT strategy.
The business management will have to rely on their company's IT consultant or department to accurately forecast any future needs or goals for the organization.
In order to determine the upgrades to the IT environment, some key questions must be asked:
1. What is the current productivity status, based on the current IT infrastructure?
2. Will there be any sizable growth in the next two to five years?
3. What is the current IT budget, and will it continue to be sufficient?
4. Can the business rely on the current infrastructure for the next two to five years, keeping in mind growth and changing technology?
5. What are the current IT "pains" being experienced by the users or the business?
Once these questions are answered, a strategy can be drafted to determine the best technologies available and which path should be taken to achieve the goals of the organization. Items such as security updates are always important and must be maintained.
However, major infrastructure changes may not be necessary if the current topology is considered to be adequate and scalable to sustain the growth for the next two to five years.
Paul Shiffman: President and IT consultant, SAV Technology
As with any investment, IT upgrades should be done selectively and consistently to minimize risk of disruption to your business.
Move your critical apps into the cloud. Over the past few years, many businesses have migrated to cloud computing, an approach that is highly recommended for companies of all sizes. Cloud services provide an alternative to bulky servers collecting dust in your office. By moving servers into a data centre, you can access these servers as though they are sitting right next to you. This saves money on expensive server hardware and reduces the risks of maintaining a physical server in your office, including theft, fire and water damage.
Replace hardware or software nearing warranty expiration or end of life. Workstations should be replaced every three years. Servers should be replaced every three to five years and should always be kept under service contract. Your staff needs the tools to do their jobs efficiently. You don't want to be wasting salaries waiting for Outlook to load.
Back up, back up, back up. Do you have a disaster recovery plan? Do you back up off-site? What would happen if your office building burned down tomorrow? Don't laugh – it recently happened to one of our clients.
Wherever possible, move backups into the cloud. Cloud backup services ensure your data is backed up offsite and provide you with access to your data in the event of a disaster.
Get a secondary Internet connection. If your company is reliant on Internet access, consider having a back-up Internet connection. If your primary connection goes down, the secondary connection takes over. This is key for businesses that use web-based apps, VoIP phones and cloud storage, because being offline is a productivity killer.
