Thursday, August 30, 2012

The Decreasing Workstation Upgrade Cycle | The Business Edition

Since computer workstations became widespread in offices, regular upgrades were considered to be a necessary expense. As new software was release, businesses had to upgrade their workstations to keep up with the system requirements. Recent technology, however, is changing this upgrade process, and many businesses are holding off on their upgrades. Here are some of the factors that are causing this change.

1. Better technology

Computers hardware is still consistently improving. The advances in processor speed has slowed, but computers are being released with more processors than the previous generation, and the price of RAM continues to drop. The system requirements of software, however, are not keeping pace. For office software, computers that would otherwise have been considered obsolete are able to run modern software fine, and businesses are choosing to use their computers as long as they perform well.

2. Skipped OS updates

Platforms are also being updated less frequently. Businesses are finding little utility in upgrading their operating systems, which allows them to stick with older hardware. Many businesses find that Windows XP is sufficient for their needs, and some have not upgraded since switching to Windows XP years ago. Windows Vista is largely considered a flop, but much of its trouble came because businesses had already developed their workflows to their satisfaction. Windows 7 has become popular, but many experts are questioning if users will upgrade to the next iteration of Windows.

3. Telecommuting

A growing number of businesses are allowing staff to work from home for at least part of the week. Because of this, companies need to ensure that their software is compatible with the computers staff members use at home. Some companies are choosing to use older versions of office software instead of upgrading. Even in cases where new software would be beneficial, companies are valuing the reduced hardware costs and telecommuting ability more highly than updated software.

4. The cloud paradigm

The cloud paradigm is sweeping through the business world. Much like the era of thin clients, cloud networks do not have high system requirements for workstations. Each workstation needs to have an appropriate networking card, a web browser and, in some cases, appropriate support software. The CPU-intensive tasks, however, are often handled by the server, and each workstation merely needs to be able to display what the server computers. This paradigm also has the advantage of centralized storage and the ability to share RAM between computers. Companies can simply upgrade their servers at their demands increase, and further developments may actually reduce workstations? system requirements.

Computer upgrades in early years were driven by the inability of hardware to operate as efficiently as possible. Many experts, however, now believe that computers of today are capable of handling the vast majority of what businesses require, and most expect companies to increase the time between workstation upgrades.

Author Bio

Nancy Parker was a professional www.enannysource.com , and she loves to write about wide range of subjects like health, Parenting, Child Care, Babysitting, nanny background check tips etc. You can reach her @ nancy.parker015 @ gmail.com

Tags: cloud computing, upgrading computers laptops

Source: http://www.thebusinessedition.com/the-decreasing-workstation-upgrade-cycle-2531/

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