“I want it so bad I can taste it!” Have you ever felt that way or said that? Most likely, the answer is “yes.” Many people feel that way about new technology. The excitement of a new technology rollout causes many to stand in line for hours, even days, to be the first to purchase the latest iPhone or other new gadget. In our experience with our numerous business-owner clients, we find that about half of them are early adopters; they love to have the latest and greatest technology that eventually gets rolled out over months and years to their teams.
Timing for Diving into New Technology
But when is the best time to succumb to your cravings for tasting new technology? Consumer Reports claims that the best deals can be found in September and April/May. But what about the timing relative to when new gadgets arrive on the scene? Sometimes being first in line isn’t always the best way to go. To avoid getting a bad taste in your mouth, we recommend this: Do not be a pioneer! They take on the greatest risks since so many kinks need time to work themselves out, especially when it comes to new technology. Let others savor that taste.
Questions to Ask Before Acquiring New Technology
Other questions to ask yourself before acquiring new technology include: Does this technology add value to my business? Does this technology make me more competitive or more productive? How easy will it be to learn the new technology and train my team to get maximum gain for the investment? A rule of thumb to consider is that technology hardware has a useful life of somewhere between 4 and 7 years. We recommend always budgeting yearly investments so that your firm is never too far behind. Finally, be aware of technology EOL (end of life) dates and plan on replacing well before then because waiting too long can often mean these items may become scarce or on allocation.
Craving some new tech? Contact us here and let IT Radix satisfy your hunger for new technology!
First published in our September 2020 IT Radix Resource newsletter
