Match Your Needs

Match Your Needs
July 1993

If you're considering a new computer system, do you know exactly how you will use the new computer? Most computers have a useful life of three years; how will you be using yours three years from now? Before you buy, be sure that the system will meet your needs.

New software updates are released every 9-18 months for popular programs. Some of these updates raise the minimum hardware requirements needed to efficiently run the new software. If your business depends on specific software applications such as a database management program, it's great to be able to take advantage of the new software program's features.

One network database administrator that I know isn't able to use the new release of his software because the ten workstation computers on the network don't meet the hardware requirements of the new software release. The enhanced speed of the new program would reduce the time required for large order processing, but his 4-year old computers aren't up to running the faster software.

In our own offices, I've stopped purchasing '386 computers. Only high-end '486 computers are able to run the Windows and database management applications that we use. It doesn't make sense to save a few hundred dollars at purchase time only to sacrifice employee productivity. In fact, we save money by purchasing faster PCs.

A computer that's twice as fast as another at printing or generating graphs will save one of our employees about 10 minutes a day. The more computer time the person puts in, the greater the savings. But on average, we are saving about 10 minutes each since we upgraded our PCs. This means that each employee has gained an extra 41.6 hours each year in productive time (10 minutes per day, 250 days per year)

Now, let's do some math. Hypothetically, if an employee earns $20,000 per year, and has an extra 41.6 hours of productive time each year, the company earns $400 in salary value each year. Since most computers have a 3-year lifespan, the value of purchasing the faster computer is $1,200. Even better, the difference in price between computer models is usually a lot less than $1,200.

In another instance, one of our customers recently replaced his computers with current models. Now, the computers are fast enough to properly run the business' scheduling software. His employees are willing to use the computer-based system rather than doing the work by hand. I estimate that each employee will save themselves over an hour a day by using the computer.

One more example, and I'll be on my way. We use the CompuServe Information Service to get software tips and updates for our customers. We consider this one of our most important customer services. By using a faster modem (price difference of about $50), we have cut our on-line charges by more than $40 per month.

I can't emphasize enough how important it is to purchase computer hardware and software to match your needs. Make sure that your new computer system will meet your needs not only today, but also for the next three years.

David Stephen Murphy is President and CEO of Damar Group, Ltd. which presents computer training classes, publishes computer learning guides, and helps organizations do business on the Internet. The website is http://dgl.com, and Mr. Murphy may be reached at dave@dgl.com or 410.567.5366.

updated November 2, 1996
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