What Is a Tech Refresh?

Is technology holding back your growing business? It might be time to replace or upgrade your tech. Learn how a tech refresh can help improve employee productivity, enhance the workplace experience, and strengthen device security.

Tech Refresh Takeaways

  • Computers three years or older can drastically reduce employee productivity and efficiency.

  • Helping to keep small businesses safe from cyberthreats now requires both software- and hardware-based security solutions.

  • Investing in business-class PCs can help improve employee satisfaction and retention.

  • The Intel vPro® Essentials platform is ideal for your tech refresh because it’s built for growing small businesses.

Learn about Intel vPro® Essentials
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If you’re a growing small business, it’s critical to keep your business PCs performing at their best. Knowing when to upgrade or replace your technology with business-class PCs like those built on the Intel vPro® Essentials platform can help protect your small business from costly cyberattacks and reduce lost time due to inefficiency. Whether you’re ready for a tech refresh or considering it, Intel is here to help.

Does Your Small Business Need a Tech Refresh?

Whether this is your first tech refresh experience or your small business has been through several, knowing how to spot the signs that it’s time for a technology upgrade may help you save time and money, retain valuable employees and top customers, and keep tech headaches at bay.

So how can you tell when it’s time to pull the plug on your current PCs? We’ve compiled the top three signs to watch for that can signal it’s time for a tech refresh, as well as the benefits your small business can realize if you upgrade.

No. 1: When Employee Productivity Seems to Plummet, It May Be Time for a Tech Refresh

Ever notice how your computer’s start-up time seems to take longer the older your computer is? It’s not your imagination. Older computers do take longer to boot. In fact, employees can lose up to one workday each year just waiting for a computer three years or older to boot up and are also likely to be less productive on older PCs.1

Investing in new PCs built for small businesses can help improve employee productivity and efficiency. For example, devices based on the Intel vPro® platform are built with the needs of your employees in mind, and the latest Intel® Core™ processors deliver even greater performance using Intel® Thread Director, which dynamically adjusts processing power based on how each PC is being used.2 This means your employees can enjoy fast performance with less interruptions while multitasking2—whether videoconferencing with customers, collaborating with peers, putting together a proposal, or doing all at once in or out of the office.

No. 2: When Device Cybersecurity Is Four Years or Older, Consider an Upgrade

Doing business with older PCs can leave you more vulnerable to cyberattacks. If fact, computers that are older than four years are breached 3x more often than computers that are under three years old.3 And falling victim to a cyberattack is costly. Not only does it put your small business at a standstill, but global cybersecurity company Kaspersky revealed that the average cost of data breaches for small businesses in 2020 was USD 101,000.4

It may be tempting to believe your business is too small to suffer an attack, and you wouldn’t be alone in that line of thinking. According to Forbes Magazine, 57 percent of small business owners believe they won’t be targeted for a cyberattack.5 The reality? Small businesses are the top target for cybercriminals and represent 43 percent of all data breaches,6 according to a Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report.

A technology refresh can not only help mitigate these security risks but also help deter the more modern, sophisticated cyberattacks that often elude the software-only security methods typically used on older PCs.

Upgrading to PCs with hardware-based security, such as the Intel vPro® Essentials platform with built-in Intel® Hardware Shield security features, helps to ensure you have a comprehensive solution that secures employee devices at the application, software, firmware, and hardware levels, shrinking the attack surface and limiting options for potential attacks. Plus, using devices based on the Intel vPro® Essentials platform means you also benefit from Intel® Threat Detection Technology (Intel® TDT), a feature of Intel® Hardware Shield that provides cyberattack monitoring and manages security-related processes behind the scenes, so system performance and employee productivity aren’t interrupted.

No. 3: When the Competition Is Gaining Ground, a Tech Refresh Is Vital

The unexpected events of recent years have significantly affected the livelihood of many small businesses, forcing them to quickly pivot operations in response. A late 2021 Salesforce worldwide small business survey7 found that 95 percent of respondents increased their online presence in some way over the year, and 71 percent of those surveyed credited their modernized technology investments as critical to their survival, with 62 percent stating they could not have survived on older technology. Additionally, 75 percent said they believe their technology investments will have long-term benefits, from improved business agility, efficiency, and security to providing a competitive advantage.

With future challenges unknown, upgrading your small business technology now is one proven way to help you continue to meet customer needs, grow your business, and prepare for the unexpected. Business-class PCs that feature the latest Intel® Core™ processors are built to keep up with the demands of a growing company. They offer up to 27 percent faster overall application performance8 and 34 percent faster system responsiveness,9 so your employees can continue to move your small business forward and ahead of your competition.

How a Tech Refresh Can Benefit Business

While it’s important to consider what using old technology costs your small business, such as unscheduled downtime and reduced productivity, it’s also critical to understand the benefits your business stands to gain from a tech refresh. Here are four benefits of upgrading to newer technology:

  • Supports mobility and remote work. With small and medium-sized businesses expecting nearly 40 percent of their workforce to work remotely,10 it’s never been more important to equip employees with mobile-friendly technology that enables the performance, connectivity, and security features they need to do their best work no matter where they are.
  • Helps retain valuable employees. With nearly half of workers saying they’ll leave their current job if workplace tech leaves them frustrated or unhappy,11 you can’t afford not to refresh your tech. Providing employees with updated technology that gives them the best work experience is paramount or you may risk them choosing to work somewhere else.
  • Brings top talent to your small business. In today’s highly competitive job market where 92 percent of employers report having too few or no qualified applicants,12 attracting talent is a major challenge. Offering a workplace that embraces high-performing PCs that are built for the way digital workers want to work can be a competitive advantage to highlight when recruiting.
  • Enables outstanding customer service. Technology directly impacts the quality of service your employees can deliver to customers. Outdated tech could result in inefficient interactions, long wait times, and unhappy customers. With more than 90 percent of consumers saying they would take their business elsewhere if a vendor is using outdated technology,13 using legacy devices could end up costing your small business big time.

Refresh Your Tech with PCs Built for Small Businesses

Knowing when it’s time to refresh your tech can be overwhelming, but putting off computer upgrades for another time can negatively impact your small business. From productivity to security to employee attrition and customer service, the costs are too big, and the stakes are too high to delay your tech refresh.

Upgrading to secure, responsive, and high-performing PCs built on the Intel vPro® Essentials platform can help you meet employee and customer technology expectations, stay secure in an ever-changing security landscape, and prepare you for tomorrow’s challenges. Talk with Intel or your trusted advisor today about your tech refresh needs and the best way to keep your small business moving forward.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

A tech refresh is the process of replacing or upgrading systems or technologies, such as PCs, to help improve productivity, enhance the employee experience, and strengthen device security.

Small businesses can’t afford the unplanned outages and delays that can potentially occur from relying on older technology, including a reduction in employee productivity and efficiency, increased vulnerability to cyberattacks, and limited ability to pivot quickly to address market changes. A tech refresh can help small businesses avert these negative impacts, increase agility for future needs, and aid in employee recruitment and retention.

When deciding if your small business needs a tech refresh, start by evaluating how your current technology is affecting your bottom line. To determine if the timing is right, consider the age of your computers, the type of cybersecurity you use, employee and client technology-related feedback, and the future needs of your growing small business.

Technology should fuel your small business growth, not stifle it. If your current tech is holding your small business back, it’s probably time for a refresh.

Performance varies by use, configuration, and other factors. Learn more on the Performance Index site.

Performance results are based on testing as of dates shown in configurations and may not reflect all publicly available updates. See backup for configuration details. No product or component can be absolutely secure.

Product and Performance Information

1“Premium PC Performance for the Modern Business,” Intel, accessed April 2022, intel.com/content/www/us/en/business/enterprise-computers/resources/pc-performance.html.
2Built into the hardware, Intel® Thread Director is provided only in performance hybrid architecture configurations of 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors; OS enablement is required. Available features and functionality vary by OS.
3Chris Flusche, “How Old is Too Old? How Often You Should Replace Your Business Computers,” Texas I.T. Pros, September 2020, https://texasitpros.com/replace-business-computers/.
4“Investment adjustment: aligning IT budgets with changing security priorities,” Kaspersky, 2020, https://media.kaspersky.com/en/business-security/Kaspersky_IT%20Security%20Economics%202020_Executive%20Summary.pdf.
5Paul Lipman, “One In Five SMBs Don’t Use Any Cybersecurity: Here’s What They’re Putting At Risk,” Forbes, 2020, forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/03/02/one-in-five-smbs-dont-use-any-cybersecurity-heres-what-theyre-putting-at-risk/?sh=33f602c67b95.
6“2019 Data Breach Investigations Report,” Verizon, accessed May 2022, verizon.com/business/resources/reports/2019/2019-data-breach-investigations-report.pdf?_ga=2.169306531.326243852.1652235465-1797705840.1651075370.
7Salesforce, “Small and Medium Business Trends Report, Fifth Edition,” 2021, https://www.salesforce.com/form/pdf/2021-small-business-trends-report/?d=7013y000000ZmOMAA0&nc=7013y000000ZmEvAAK&utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=&ban&utm_campaign=us_esmb&utm_content=5th-smb-trends-report_7013y000000ZmOMAA0&utm_term=&ban=us_Blog.
8As measured by CrossMark overall score for 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1280P vs. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7.
9As measured by CrossMark Responsiveness sub-score for 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1280P vs. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7.
10Bob Takacs, Eileen Zimbler, and Tom Rebbeck, “SMB technology survey insights: getting back to business,” Analysys Mason, March 2022, https://www.analysysmason.com/research/content/reports/smb-business-survey/.
11“The 2021 State of Work: How COVID-19 changed digital work,” Workfront, accessed May 2022, workfront.com/campaigns/state-of-work.
12Kate Vogel, “The great resignation: 8 ways small businesses can cope,” RingCentral blog, accessed May 2022, ringcentral.com/us/en/blog/great-resignation-2021/.
13Donna Fuscaldo, “Survey Customers Will Leave You Over Outdated Tech,” Fox Business, April 2016, foxbusiness.com/features/survey-customers-will-leave-you-over-outdated-tech.