For an automobile it might be 100,000 miles. You can get nine or ten years out of a furnace. If the goldfish you won at the neighborhood carnival survives the ride home in the plastic bag filled with water you’d be happy. Everything has a life span. While you can expect a number of years of dependable, consistent service from an INFONETICS server, even it has a life span.
PC-based machines like the INFONETICS server are generally reliable for 3-4 years before signs of aging tend to pop up. Hard drive manufacturers generally warranty their drives for three years. That’s the first point at which you should consider replacing your hard drive. When a drive reaches six years, you should consider it mandatory. A new hard drive could also add some additional speed to an aging system. New hard drives rotate faster and transfer information to your system’s processor quicker than an old drive.
Next you should ask yourself if you know how old your server is? The guideline for replacing your server follows a similar pattern as previously mentioned with hard drives. After three years you should consider replacement. After six years your server might be treading on thin ice. A general rule of thumb with an INFONETICS server is that if it is a PentiumPRO or less (has a 200 mHz processor or less) and/or is an INFONETICS model INFO-5200 or less, you should consider immediate replacement. You can count on almost a 10-fold difference in the performance and speed of a new server versus your old server.
The demands on your server also tend to dictate how your system operates. As your company grows you might find yourself adding users in the form of dumb terminals, PC workstations, laptops, remote branches, printers, and other network devices. The more you ask your server to do, the more power it needs to fulfill all the requests. If you have noticeable lapses in speed as your company grows consider a new INFONETICS server.
Finally, can you afford NOT to upgrade? Just think about the expense and headache associated with replacing a system under an emergency situation. Overnight shipments, on-site service, data recovery time on the modem or in person, possible travel time for INFONETICS personnel, lost time for your employees who can’t access the system, and numerous other emergency procedures. It can easily double the cost of upgrading. That’s a pretty strong argument for preventative maintenance don’t you think?
If you’d like more information about your current server, about the latest INFONETICS’ servers, or have any other questions please call INFONETICS at 614-875-2006.