4 Hardware Devices You Should Replace Rather than Repair

With their increasing dependence on technology, many business administrators want to get as much as they can out of their investments. This is understandable given that companies of all sizes are spending more on technology than ever before. However, the make-do-and-mend philosophy does not apply to enterprise IT.

Malfunctioning computers and other systems are a common cause of frustration in the workplace, both among employees and the customers they serve. That’s why you need to make sure you always have the best if you intend to keep up with the competition.

Sometimes, a break-fix approach can still work, but in most cases it’s simply impractical to repair old or damaged components and devices. Here are a few examples:

#1. Power Supplies

They might not be the most glamorous of computer components, but power supplies are certainly among the most important. As such, having an old and inefficient unit, particularly of the budget variety, is an extremely bad idea. On top of that, power supply units (PSUs) do not contain any serviceable parts, so it’s generally impossible to repair them anyway.

Fortunately, a typical business computer doesn’t need an expensive or powerful PSU, but that doesn’t mean you should rely on cheap, unbranded components. In fact, a failing power supply is a common cause for major hardware failures. For this reason, you should always stick with recognized brands and replace units as soon as they start showing signs of failure.

#2. Hard Drives

These days, few things are more valuable to a business than its digital data. In fact, chances are that all those ones and zeros make up your company’s most important asset of all. When an expensive component such as a processor fails, your data should be unaffected, but that’s not the case if a hard drive or solid-state drive starts developing problems.

Many hard drive errors are software-related, meaning that they can usually be fixed by running a disk scan. However, such fixes are only temporary, and things like disk errors often point to a more serious problem.

Do yourself a favor, and be sure to replace failing hard drives as quickly as possible and get yourself something bigger and faster, since your requirements will likely only increase.

#3. Motherboards

The motherboard is one of the most important components in any computer, since it’s what everything else connects to. For this reason, replacing a motherboard is easily the most complicated upgrade. It usually means starting over from scratch by reinstalling the operating system and, in many cases, buying a new processor and other components to overcome compatibility issues.

Given the complexities of replacing motherboards, it’s often tempting to try to repair them, but this approach is usually impractical, and most hardware problems simply cannot be fixed anyway. In fact, for everyday business machines, it’s often better to get a new computer. This is especially the case with laptops and tablets, where it’s usually not possible to replace or repair the integrated motherboard.

#4. Routers

Chances are your business relies heavily on its internet connection. If, like most businesses, you rely on cloud-based apps and storage, then your ability to reliably get online will be critical to your company’s operations. That’s why you need a router that offers only the very best in terms of reliability, performance and security.

You might think you can repair a malfunctioning router simply by restoring the factory default settings or making some tweaks in the administrator control panel, but these aren’t long-term solutions. Instead, you should always make sure you’re using the latest hardware complete with current security protocols and support for the highest data transfer speeds.

Constantly upgrading, replacing and repairing hardware can quickly become a major drain on your budget. That’s why every business should consider migrating to the cloud to decrease their reliance on in-house hardware. If you’re ready to outsource the management of your IT infrastructure, talk to one of our experts today.

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