Technology is continually improving, and at times it can be difficult to keep up to date with these changes. However, failing to do so can result in wasted time and energy, and it could end up hurting you or your business in the end. Here are seven signs that your business technology is outdated.

1. Slow Connection Speed
If you can remember back to the early days of the internet when a dial-up connection was the primary option for connecting to the web, then chances are you will also remember the incredibly slow speeds that came with using a dial-up modem. And while you may have a faster connection than dial-up now, it is still possible that it is outdated. If you think that your connection speeds are slow, check with your service provider to find out if there are upgrades available.

2. Security Attacks
A cyber-attack on your home or business can be devastating, yet even small-scale malware and viruses can cause significant problems. If you frequently need to run malware removers and virus scanners to clean the computer system, this could indicate that the system is out of date. Therefore, it can be more susceptible to a cyber-attack.

3. Continual Computer Crashes
There are many reasons that computers crash, and foremost is the age of the computer. Similar to updating software and operating systems, upgrading a computer is something that people are hesitant to tackle, but failure to do so can make the computer more prone to crashing. When a computer crashes, it can wipe out anything that was not saved and could result in significant delays.

4. Slowed Productivity
Along with outdated equipment comes a slowing of productivity. When computers crash and operating systems freeze up, it can take several minutes to get the computer restarted and back to the place where you left off. When this happens multiple times per day on more than one machine, the downtime adds up quickly. By the end of the day, it is possible to have lost an hour or more of time that could have been spent far more productively with properly functioning computers.

5. Running Old Versions of Windows
Windows has been around for more than two decades now, and if your company is running older versions, then it is probably time to upgrade. Many businesses still run Windows XP on their company computers because they are afraid of the obstacles that might be encountered when upgrading to the newest version of Windows. It is true that there will be some adjustments needed when familiarizing yourself with new technologies, but it is well worth it.

6. Hardware Can’t Be Upgraded
Replacing hardware can be costly, but failure to do so can cause an array of issues. The primary problem in using outdated hardware is the inability to upgrade software. As technologies progress, software makers slowly phase out older versions, and the new versions of the software may not be compatible with aged equipment.

7. Increased Utility Bills
In the early days of computers, conserving energy was not as much a concern as it is today. Because there wasn’t much regard for energy consumption and many energy-saving technologies were unavailable when they were built, older equipment tends to use far more energy than up-to-date equipment. While using a single outdated computer may not affect the energy bill for the home user, if you are a business or organization using dozens of them, this increased power consumption can be costly.

Using outdated equipment can cause unwanted delays, an increased number of cyber-attacks, and lead to increased energy bills. If you are experiencing any of these issues, it’s time to take a good long look at your tech.

~ Heidi
Courtesy of Worldstart.com