We’ve been assessing small businesses in the valley for 10 years and we’re hoping to bring awareness to a pattern we’ve nicknamed “shiny computers”. Read below to understand why shiny computers have no business in your business.
What the heck are shiny computers?
We classify shiny computers as “consumer-grade” workstations. Shiny computers are typically visually appealing on the surface. However, inside are some of the cheapest parts the manufacturer could budget in order to keep the price point low for consumers. The warranty tells you the story! If the manufacturer covers it for one year or less, that’s a bad sign. As a comparison, most business-class workstations are warrantied 3-5 years.
Please note: if your shiny computer is business-class and has a decent warranty, you found the rare shiny business-class workstation! This blog is more for the $200-$600 range computers that are ugly on the inside.
Here’s our advice if you’re the victim of buying a shiny computer for your business:
- Calculate the ROI when it has a hardware failure. 99% of the time if it’s more than 1 year old, it’s scrap. IT labor + buying replacement parts will cost as much as the computer itself. Use this as an opportunity to replace it with a 3-5 year business-class solution.
- Use it to its fullest potential then scrap it. If you’re just browsing the internet on it, and it works with your business’s IT standards (AV, Windows 10 Pro, etc.), use it until it is dead or so slow you can’t be productive on it.
- Have the shiny computer wiped and re-purpose it at your home or gift it to employees. This class of computer is designed to be at home and off for most of its life (unlike business-class computers that are designed for years of intense usage).
- When your shiny home-class computer bites the dust early, make sure to always have the drive securely wiped and give it to an environmentally safe computer recycler.
As you can see, shiny computers are a burden on your business and should be left at home. If you’d like to meet with us and discuss if your computers are shiny or not (among other things), please contact us by clicking here.
