New Computer Fever

Our firm has a policy that all computers, except servers, are replaced every three years. We feel that the policy is sound. The main reason we adhere to the program is reliability. We replace equipment before it breaks avoiding the panic that comes from a fried computer. The thought of losing data is paralyzing to us. Although we have backup protocols, the realist in me knows that backup doesn’t always take place.

The other reason of consistent equipment rotation is simply technology. Today’s computer is faster and smarter than yesterday’s computer. All of our software vendors write their software assuming that is will be run on the latest and greatest hardware and operating systems. Better technology makes our staff more efficient and therefore more productive.

As luck would have it, there is a good article in today’s (Thursday) Wall Street Journal. The article by Walter Mossberg is entitled “A Brief Rundown of What You Need In a Laptop.” The article offers a quick synopsis of today’s laptop products. We suggest that you take a look. In the following paragraph, I have noted some of the key points.

Intel is coming out with a new chip to replace the Cor 2 Duo. The new chips will be the “i” series. These should be considerably faster. This is a necessity in today’s graphic driven software. Advanced Mirco Devises (AMD) also makes quality chips. We have used both manufacturer’s products over the years with great reliability.

Windows 7 is a big improvement over Vista and XP operating systems. We began using our first Windows 7 machine a few months ago and have been impressed by its operations. Windows 7 looks a great deal like Vista, but operates far more efficiently. Most of our software does not play well with Mac, so we have no Macs.

Finally, there is the 64 bit dilemma. Most machines and software are designed for 32 bit operations. All of our vendors will be offering 64 bit software within the next 24 months so we are going to move all of our equipment in that direction. This is something that you, as a purchaser, really need to give considerable though toward. We suggest you talk with your major software providers.

Good luck on your new computer search.