Intel and Microsoft study reveals cost of using a
PC older than four years outweighs cost of buying new device
TORONTO, Oct. 9, 2019 /CNW/ - Still own a PC or laptop
older than four years old? Chances are you are spending more on its
upkeep than buying a new modern device, reveals a new study from
Techaisle, a leading global SMB IT market research and analyst
organization, commissioned by Intel and Microsoft.
The study, which included in-depth interviews and analysis among
175 SMB organizations in Canada*,
found the average cost of keeping a PC more than four years old is
CA$1,710 per device per year - enough to replace the aging hardware
with at least one new device. PCs older than four years old are
also 4.6 times more likely to undergo repairs, resulting in an
average 196 hours of lost productivity per device.
The study findings point to the significant broader impact of
Canadian SMBs having PCs older than 4 years. According to
StatsCanada, there are approximately 1.2 million SMBs in
Canada. They represent 98.8 per
cent of all employee businesses and contribute more than 50 per
cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Given the scale, it means
that the collective cost of every SMB entity in Canada having just one PC older than four
years, as the study found, equates to nearly CA$2 billion dollars
of lost productivity per year.
However, the study indicates the impact is significantly higher
given the number of businesses that have older devices. Despite the
impact on loss of productivity and repair costs, not only do 100
per cent of SMBs included in the study reported having PCs older
than four years, 46 per cent of PCs are four or more years old
overall. Furthermore, 50 per cent of SMBs either do not have a tech
refresh policy – or do not follow the policy.
"Over the next few years, newer technologies such as 5G, AI,
Blockchain, IoT, and other cloud-based systems will continue to
provide opportunity for businesses to transform. We are already
working on some incredible innovations in partnership with SMBs in
Canada," said Phil Vokins, Cloud Services Director Intel
Americas and Canada. "But no
matter where businesses are on their transformation journey,
managing technology lifecycles and where the technology interfaces
with the employees is critical. Beyond the very real impact on
productivity and maintenance costs, older PCs can compromise cyber
security, as well as overall employee engagement."
Beyond impact on cost and productivity, the study highlights
other key considerations when it comes to technology lifecycles.
Security continues to be top-of-mind – both within the C-suite and
for IT professionals. The study indicated 50 per cent of SMBs
reported experiencing a breach in the last year alone.
The biggest security concerns cited by SMBs included: virus or
other malware attacks (55%), data theft by employees or others
(39%), network intrusions (37%), identify theft (35%) computing
device being stolen or lost (26%), and transaction security
(18%).
"Today's workplace devices have reshaped the face of business
and SMBs are reimagining work and how they engage their customers,
optimize their operations, and transform their products," said
Travis Ames, VP of Consumer and
Devices, Microsoft Canada. "With Windows 7 end of support coming
up, we want to ensure businesses are refreshing to the latest
version of Windows in order to continue to keep their customer data
and IP safe, while empowering employees and boosting
productivity."
The frequency of security breaches and data theft increases
significantly for PCs older than four years, averaging 27 per cent
higher compared to PCs less than four years old. The survey also
found that SMBs sited 'better security' as a key positive impact of
new PCs (by 70% of SMBs).
In addition, 'security features' was the number one feature for
SMBs when considering purchasing a PC (by 37%).
About Intel:
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), a leader in the semiconductor industry, is
shaping the data-centric future with computing and communications
technology that is the foundation of the world's innovations. The
company's engineering expertise is helping address the world's
greatest challenges as well as helping secure, power and connect
billions of devices and the infrastructure of the smart, connected
world – from the cloud to the network to the edge and everything in
between. Find more information about Intel at newsroom.intel.com
and intel.com.
Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in
the United States and other
countries.
Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of
others.
Study methodology:
*The Intel-Microsoft Canada SMB PC Study was conducted in
April-May 2019 and involved 175
respondents from the Canadian market.
- Respondents were IT and business decision makers
- 175 completes were achieved – unique SMBs
- Sample included SMBs across various sizes with up to 499
PCs
- Sampling quota was fixed by size of business by no. of PCs
SOURCE Intel