Computer & Networking Hardware

Your computers & networking equipment form the core of your network.

Hardware procurement is an activity that is often carried out in a piecemeal fashion, and can be motivated by very topical reasons: to replace something that's broken, or to get something that "we've been told is great", or just simply to try and take advantage of a "good deal".

There are a number of factors to consider when making a purchase:

Quality: A system is only as good as it's worst component. Poor-quality hardware may result in a saving of a few pounds up-front, but will quickly start costing much more than any initial saving because of poor performance, faults and support calls.

Performance: With the daily changes in technology available, networks are changing, data is changing, bandwidth requirements are changing. Almost every aspect of a system has different requirements & capabilities today than last year, and it is crucial to ensure that your choice of equipment will comfortably be able to do everything needed & more.

Scalability & flexibility: One of the characteristics of a well-planned hardware inventory is to try as far as possible to ensure that your computer & networking hardware infrastructure is capable of growing with you. Some hardware is easier to replace than upgrade, but there are many instances where you may be able to add capacity to existing hardware, thereby achieving easy scalability, rather than having to carry out a forklift upgrade at each instance.

Infrastructure that is scalable, flexible & high performance is rarely they cheapest option. However, companies that invest wisely in hardware at the procurement stage will reap the rewards of having a system that runs efficiently, smoothly & reliably over a longer lifetime.

IT hardware adds most value - not just in itself, but also to the value and  manageability of an entire system - if the procurement process is part of an overall plan, and each decision is aligned with the overall plan.

This might sound a lot like hard work, but it's really just a blend of common sense, experience & keeping an eye on the big picture. This experience & expertise is something that we can help with. After all, having to replace something that actually works fine, but is quickly rendered inadequate due to a short-sighted purchase, is aggravation & expense that we could all do without.

Proper planning and experience will ensure that your purchase decision represents not only the best value today, but stands the test of time and continues to perform reliably and satisfactorily throughout its lifetime.