Why upgrading your employee’s laptops is vital for your Business

The laptop has been a crucial tool for businesses for many years. While in previous years, it was conceivable to maintain some staff productivity with dated technology, with the widespread transition to hybrid working, this is no longer the case. To maintain adequate levels of productivity, efficiency, and robust cyber defense, many businesses consider upgrading their employee’s laptops vital to their business.

Most of your staff will rely on their computers for engagement and productivity at work. Yet, many may feel that their work devices are inadequate. There is a genuine risk that many decision-makers would disregard the frustration of their employees who struggle with the very mobile devices designed to aid them.

Upgrading your business laptops can increase productivity, improve staff satisfaction, boost performance and ensure you remain ahead of the competition.

Top 5 Risks of Using Outdated Computing Hardware

Unfortunately, utilizing obsolete technology in business has many more consequences than just annoyance. Aging legacy systems are more prone to cybersecurity threats. The reputational and financial implications of these cybersecurity breaches can significantly impact a company’s bottom line.

Discover the top five hazards that may cause you to reconsider utilizing old legacy technology, ranging from system unavailability to increased expenditures.

1. Crashes and System Downtime

With the growth of cloud services and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications, the danger of data loss has been decreased by storing data in remote systems that are not affected by a computer breakdown.

RELATED: SaaS Benefits and Limitations: What are the advantages of Software-as-a-Service

However, if crashes and the subsequent system unavailability prohibit companies from obtaining what they want and expect, many will not hesitate to go elsewhere. And, more often than not, a rival with the correct, functional technology is waiting in the wings to provide them with what they want and demand “immediately.”

The actual danger here is the lost time, income, and trust that comes with crashes and system outages. So, is the money you believe you’ll save by employing outmoded technology still worthwhile?

2. Increased Costs

Maintaining obsolete legacy systems may be expensive. It’s essentially the same as caring for an old house or car, except that technology ages much more quickly. Using obsolete technological systems is no different and may be extremely costly to maintain.

That’s before you include the cost of employee time spent maintaining outdated technology and making it operate rather than being productive and focusing on the real business challenges. No one appreciates the sensation of not having the right tools to succeed.

Therefore, keeping obsolete technology in your organization may harm employee satisfaction and morale. Low employee satisfaction and morale are often associated with high staff turnover. Consequently, you should budget for greater expenses for finding, hiring, and training new personnel because of that outdated technology.

RELATED: How often should you replace a Business Laptop? 10 Key Signs to look out for

Furthermore, most outdated business systems consume more power than new energy-efficient technology, resulting in unnecessary extra overhead costs for your organization.

3. Decreased Productivity

Legacy technology is slower, takes longer to complete tasks, and necessitates far more time-consuming maintenance, patches, upgrades, and helpdesk calls than its more recent counterparts.

Reduced productivity may cost your company money in terms of revenue and ROI. You get more productivity from your staff than those who waste time trying to get their equipment to operate properly.

4. Security Holes

Businesses that rely on old legacy technology expose themselves to greater cybersecurity risks. If your laptops and hardware are not upgraded, your risk grows exponentially.

For example, if you use Windows XP on your computer, your device is six times more likely to get infected with malware than if you use Windows 10. Those who continue to use Windows Server 2003, which achieved end-of-support on July 14, 2015, will be more vulnerable to cyberattacks and exploitation by third parties.

Microsoft Office 2003 also hit end-of-support in April 2014, meaning essential security upgrades will no longer be available. While Office is merely a simple productivity tool suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and may appear unconnected to overall system security, it can expose your entire network to vulnerabilities.

Consistent documentation, good maintenance, and updated practices are the greatest ways to help organizations stay current.

5. Legal and Regulatory Compliance Risks

Using out-of-date corporate technology exacerbates pre-existing compliance concerns you do not know of. Companies that fail to shift from unsupported software or outdated systems may face fines from auditors.

Furthermore, out-of-date legacy systems can make firms a perfect target for cyber assaults and possible data breaches, which can have disastrous reputational and financial ramifications.

RELATED: 10 Cybersecurity Frameworks designed to help businesses reduce risks

Many small and medium businesses, including medical clinics, legal offices, and educational institutions, are considered low-risk, high-reward targets because they store important personal identifying information (PII) about their clients.

These businesses are also the least likely to update their technology, increasing their susceptibility and attraction to cybercriminals.

RELATED: Technology Compliance Mistakes Businesses must avoid

You are not immune to legal and regulatory compliance problems simply because you are not a law or healthcare business. Several compliance regulations apply to every company that handles employee data or payment card information connected to your business activities.

Productivity and efficiency: Reasons for upgrading your Business Laptops

Being able to do meaningful work is one of the significant drivers of employee engagement. When technology impedes this effort, whether it’s a tiny nuisance or a hardware breakdown, it’s frustrating. These incidents build up, causing disengagement.

IT functions prioritize longevity and investment returns over employee engagement. Many decision-makers may view device and software integration as essential to employee engagement. In contrast, employees report being happiest when they can readily access crucial information and have a reliable device.

Some firms have tried to address this disparity by creating new strategies that result in increased equipment spending — perceiving higher technology expenses as an investment in employee experience.

PC technology may help employees feel valued in a business. You don’t need to provide your staff with the fanciest equipment, but they should be matched to their responsibilities. It’s simple to overpay and underdeliver when adopting new technologies.

The employees should have ultra-lightweight, modern computers. Employees must feel that their gadget is a work partner and be able to carry it wherever they need to go, whether moving floors in an office building, taking a train, or working from a cafe.

Such laptops boast lightning-fast response, fluid multitasking, seamless usage of various corporate apps, and the flexibility for IT to provide remote help from anywhere.

RELATED: Tablet vs Laptop: Which should you buy?

Why upgrading your business laptops is crucial for your cybersecurity

Cyber security is perhaps one of the essential aspects of any organization to do correctly. Even if a corporation can recover from a data breach or ransomware assault, the lingering reputational harm can be tough to overcome.

Keeping your team’s computers up-to-date is one of the most efficient ways to safeguard your organization. Modern devices not only have greater security built in and are less susceptible to historical hardware vulnerabilities, but they also reduce the demand for personnel to be watchful at all times.

Regarding the gear itself, suppliers are improving at integrating security measures that address the most challenging cyber security risks enterprises face today. For instance, the latest business laptops have application and data security, enhanced threat detection, and ransomware and crypto mining prevention.

These laptop-integrated defensive features considerably decrease the requirement for extra software-level security layers. The growth of cyber security technologies, like two-factor authentication and timed system access, may provide IT teams with peace of mind, but it also frustrates employees.

By deploying newer laptops, you’re doing your share to provide the essential security your organization requires without interfering with your team members’ day-to-day activities.

Next Steps: Staying ahead of the competition

Maintaining competitiveness is critical for any small firm. When your employees arrive at a meeting with obsolete technology, having difficulties connecting their devices or struggling to load a presentation may reflect poorly on your company.

Customers and potential clients will regard your old technology as a reflection of your company’s capabilities.

Even if you can’t afford to provide cutting-edge technology to every team member, any client-facing team members must have upgraded laptops that can function under duress.

Because of innovations from IT solution providers, SMEs can now supply technology that is on par with that of major enterprises.

Adopting a security-centric upgrade approach

Hardware security is concerned with safeguarding systems against vulnerabilities at the physical layer. And if your systems are built on shaky ground, your cybersecurity is compromised. You might attempt the following to safeguard your hardware:

• Identify and mitigate potential security vulnerabilities: With the prevalence of cyberattacks on the rise, it is sensible to be proactive. Audit your computer systems with a cybersecurity specialist. If any areas are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, improve your security measures first.
• Understand your supply chain end-to-end: To be safe, be sure that whoever sells your hardware can guarantee the security of their components from manufacturing to delivery. Validation is essential at every stage of the supply chain.
• Replace and update old laptops and hardware: Outdated laptops and hardware are more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. If a cybersecurity audit discovers a flaw, consider replacing your gear with items from a reputable vendor. It’s also critical to maintaining all of your software up to date since security patches can aid in the prevention of potentially dangerous assaults.