The age-old question of “why hire a consultant?” comes to most professions, and IT consulting is no different — I might even suggest that it may be even more common regarding the IT industry.

Most small businesses have a “techie person” who handles day-to-day technical computer issues. And that’s great. Ideally every site should have somebody that can handle quick technical issues here and there. Here in Victoria, it tends to extend beyond immediate staff and into family member territory. But for problems beyond the superficial, and even sometimes including those that occur again and again, a consultant can often be the right answer.

 

First, I’d like to dispel some myths.

Myth #1: Consultants Are Expensive

The most important thing to remember is that you only pay for the time that a consultant is actually working, as opposed to an employee who is paid hourly plus benefits, insurance, etc — regardless of productivity.

What else could your tech-savvy employee be doing to be more productive to your company? Could they be earning you money instead of sinking all of their effort into a situation beyond their expertise? What might take a skilled IT consultant mere minutes to solve might take someone unfamiliar with the problem several hours.

The IT industry’s purpose is to increase productivity through technology — sinking unqualified resources into unfamiliar territory is hardly efficient.

Myth #2: Don’t Need ‘Em

The status quo is great, but it can stagnate your business. A business today is lost without email, a website, a PC, a billing/accounting system, a printer, and the network equipment to connect it all together. Perhaps the problem is that you don’t realize what’s possible. Maybe you never realized you could print from your phone, or remote in to your computer at work from home, or one of a million other little things that can enhance your experience.

Myth #3: A Tech Is A Tech

Victoria is known as a tourist destination, but our primary revenue is the tech industry. Despite this fact, Victoria also has some of the worst supported networks for small businesses. Many reputable computer consulting companies hire technicians that don’t know the difference between a router, a hub, and a switch (FYI there are BIG differences), and these “IT professionals” are content to daisy-chain network devices until they are satisfied that “everything works”. The problem ranges from cheap, shoddy hardware to stripped or badly terminated cables, or plain old bad network design. This leaves many Victoria businesses with a false sense of security. Networks may go down, servers may fail, backups may not exist. A true IT consultant can remedy that.

Still others may provide a solution but give no ongoing support, perhaps because computers aren’t their full-time profession.

 

The bottom line is that not all IT professionals are created equal. Much like a doctor, there is nothing wrong with getting a second opinion and in fact it should be encouraged. Don’t take this to the extreme, however. You don’t want to call a different consultant from day to day or cycle between them. You want someone intimately familiar with your systems. Your computers and network need attention much like what you would give your vehicle.

For further information, see “What Does An IT Consultant Do?“, also on the McLean IT Consulting Blog.

McLean IT consulting is proud to offer a broad range of skills, services and computer technology to Victoria businesses. Initial consultations are free of charge, and there is no requirement for a service contract.

As an IT consultant, I am frequently asked for either an opinion or a judgement call regarding whether or not a system is a better candidate for upgrades, or for replacement. The answer is never absolute, but there are general guidelines and variables to consider.

Hardware

CPU and motherboard technology has advanced greatly in recent years. The last generation of Intel processors nearly doubled the performance of every processor preceding it. The first easy question is a matter of speed and performance: does your current system provide sufficient processing power to accomplish day-to-day tasks?

The answer to this question will create spinoff questions. If yes, then congratulations, your computer still has life in her, but more questions must be asked. If no, then one must identify where the performance bottleneck is taking place. If the system is several years old and is consistently struggling to keep up with daily demands, then CPU is the likely culprit. If the system suffers only when running multiple programs at a time, then this is due to limited memory.

Any desktop computer consists of the same core parts: processor, motherboard, and memory. Devices such as hard drives, DVD-ROM drives and the power supply can typically remain in place after an upgrade, assuming the power consumption has not dramatically increased. When core parts are upgraded, in most cases it will require other core components to be replaced as well. For example if you were to upgrade a processor from 2008 to a current-generation model, you would also be required to replace both the motherboard and ram to support the upgrade. When replacing these components, replacing the power supply should be considered, but may not be necessary.

Hardware obsolescence and security are a big part of why large enterprises have established system life cycles – usually this cycle lasts about four years. Sometimes less for laptops.

Laptop systems are engineered to be integrated devices and as such, the only user replaceable parts are the hard drive, memory, or battery, which limits the upgrade options available and is another reason why they have a shortened life expectancy.

Hardware prices have come down considerably in recent years. At the time of this writing, Intel has recently released a new processor, codenamed "Sandy Bridge", and the most expensive chip weighs in at about $300, but it outperforms Intel’s own chip from the last generation at well over $1000.

Software

Beyond the hardware limitations, it should be noted that upgrading to a current-generation system will often mean moving to a newer and more secure operating system. In the case of Microsoft, Windows XP is an extremely popular operating system and has been around for nearly ten years. However, the age of the system and the limitations of the software have strained Microsoft to maintain support for it. XP and many technologies contained therein are no longer secure and will not be patched to secure them. Some businesses will require XP because of internal business software requirements, but measures should be taken to ensure security is tightened. Special attention must be paid to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 6, which even Microsoft is pushing people to stop using. Despite the much-discussed flaws of Vista, security wasn’t one of them – and Windows 7 has successfully erased the bad taste left by its predecessor.

Apple’s OS X enjoys similar upgrades to its systems. Those who are still using OS X 10.4 do not enjoy the benefit of Apple’s Time Machine backup software, better spotlight search performance, and security among hundreds of other features added. Apple hardware is famously more compatible with their operating systems and do not usually require a hardware upgrade to enjoy an updated operating system.

Another question that might be asked is if there are any recurring issues that would add to the cost of ownership of the older computer.

Compatibility

Some looking to upgrade will ignore a vital part of the process. Will a current-generation system support your peripherals? Many old printers and scanners or other legacy hardware are no longer supported by the manufacturer, especially in light of the push to 64-bit from 32-bit operating systems. 64-bit systems require 64-bit drivers and will not function without them.

As previously mentioned, some applications will only work with older operating systems, for example anything based on DOS or old, unsupported .NET Runtime engines cannot be used in current systems. This has also contributed to software being pushed to "the cloud" since web applications work with any browser or operating system (multi-platform or OS agnostic).

Transition

Of course purchasing a new system will usually require a transition or migration. The length of time involved is directly related to the speed of the old system. If the old computer is a circa 2001 Windows 2000 or XP relic, expect things to drag on for a few hours, so the cost of having a technician do this should be considered as part of the bottom line. Even speedy systems will generally take two hours. Every workstation is different and so are their needs, but a minimal migration involves moving files, and configuring email. Using new software will also come with a learning curve – a large one if moving between Mac Linux or Windows PC.

Conclusion

The choice, of course, is up to the owner. Is the system just a play computer or a mission-critical workstation? Does the value of a new computer outweigh the value of upgrading the old? Does the cost outweigh the benefits? The same basic principle of car insurance companies applies here: if the cost of upgrading or repairing the current model is greater than half the cost of a new model, it’s time to write off the old one.

Homepage feature image courtesy of datamancer.

When purchasing or selling a business, one largely overlooked procedure that is perhaps equally important as a financial and legal review (and often one effects the other) is a technology audit. This should be performed by a third party and never by the staff of the business to be audited – for obvious reasons. Most would agree that businesses rely heavily on computer systems to perform daily operations, so ignoring this vital part of the equation would be a mistake. Here I will discuss questions that should be asked and answered as part of the discovery process.

Step 1: Hardware

Taking inventory of technology assets such as PC hardware, printers, and network equation is the first step. How old is the hardware? Are all  the systems different? Were they purchased at different times or all at once? Are they on a life cycle – and if so, are they reaching the end of that cycle? What kind of fault tolerance do the systems have? Are there proper backups? Is there a server? Is it being utilized efficiently? Is there a high failure rate of existing hardware? What network hardware supports the environment? Is it secure both physically and from the internet?

Step 2: Software

Software audits may be even more important and if rushed can be disastrous. Are all systems the same OS or is the environment mixed? Are they updated consistently with security patches? Are they protected by antivirus and antimalware systems? Does the business run behind a firewall? Is access to sensitive information limited to specific users or groups, or is information security loose and trusting? Is the server properly maintained? Is all the on-site software licensed correctly? This last question is especially important for mid-sized businesses that have experienced rapid growth, as they typically struggle to maintain IT compliance to match business expansion, and Microsoft notoriously audits these types of enterprises.

Step 3: Other Assets and Liabilities

Does the business in question have outstanding contracts or obligations to IT professionals? This goes hand in hand with a financial audit, but it should still bears mentioning. The business website, if applicable, should also be considered. Does it look good or is it abhorrently ugly (thus driving away potential clients)? Is it maintained properly? Does it adhere to modern web standards? Are their security risks associated with it (i.e. private client information accessible online)? Are there broken links or functions?

These are just a few examples of questions that should be asked when looking at a purchasing or taking over a business.

Even a short investigation will reveal a clearer picture of the true assets and liabilities involved, and can at the same time identify possible improvements and cost savings before acquisition.