Just a short one this month, as we sit in the wake of one of the most serious yet unexpected IT failures the world has seen for a long time – all due to an update pushed out by a company that many have never heard of – CrowdStrike. With 99% of UK PC users being unaffected directly, only via the unavailability of 3rd-party systems (payment systems, airline control systems etc), now begins the process of understanding how to stop it happening again.
The short answer is that we probably can’t, as it would require independent duplication of systems via multiple differing providers, everywhere – the cost of which would be prohibitive to any company trying to implement it.
The end result of all of this is most likely just an increase in claims on company Business Continuity insurance policies this year, and thus insurance costs the following year increasing further. Shame, but hopefully companies recover their losses !
Managed Print Solutions
Printers are pain. They are pain at home and a pain in the office – never working when you want them too, and always sucking toner dry at completely the wrong moment.
If you have multiple office printers and are concerned about the increasing cost of running them, then the solution may well be to go down the Managed Print route.
What you get:
- A new business-grade printer(s) matched to your needs
- A supply of the correct toner & inks, before you need them
- Rapid maintenance & repair support
- A fully justified cost-saving print solution
What you won’t get:
- Tied into a lengthy contract
- No idea of what your printers are costing you
- Left for weeks with an unusable printer
PRINT AUDIT: we can install a small data-collection software agent on your IT infrastructure that will allow us to fully justify if and where you can save money – free of charge – and then give you detailed recommendations to revolutionise your printing experience. We’ll then help our Print Partner design & implement a solution that gives your business a better all-round print solution.
Just ask !
Windows 11 is closing the gap on Windows 10
Windows 11 appears to have turned a corner and is approaching a 30 percent share of the desktop market, while Windows 10 has declined to just over 66 percent.
Yes, Windows 10 still commands a substantial share of the market – more than twice that of Windows 11 – but the gap is now definitely narrowing following two straight months (to June 2024) of increases for Microsoft’s latest OS, versus declines for the previous generation.
Should the trend continue or accelerate, there is every chance that Windows 11 will become dominant by the time Windows 10 – for much of the install base at least – reaches end of standard support in October 2025.
The narrowing gap is not the surge the industry has been hoping for, but instead represents the gradual replacement of aging Windows 10 hardware with something that meets the stricter requirements of Windows 11.
PC sales inch upwards as market starts to upgrade its hardware
Typical demand for new and faster PCs is returning to the market, after the third straight quarter of growth following several woeful years in the sector.
The PC market grew 3.4 percent year-over-year in the second calendar quarter – similar to the growth seen in the first quarter and the fourth quarter of last year. Laptops and other mobile PCs led the pack with four percent annual growth while desktop shipments ticked up just one percent.
However, the market is still down heavily from its highs during the pandemic, when total PC shipments peaked at 80 million in Q1 2022. At 62.8 million shipments in Q2 2024, the industry is still reeling from the double digit shrinks it experienced in much of 2022 and 2023.
Brand-by-brand, most grew by low to mid-single digit percentages, such as Lenovo, HP, and Apple. Asus, however, saw the biggest growth compared to Q2 of last year at a whopping 17.3 percent. Meanwhile, Dell shrunk slightly at -2.4 percent.
Financing
If you’re ever concerned about committing a large lump sum outlay to an IT upgrade or replacement, then we may have some financing options for you to consider, to convert CapEx into OpEx, if that works better for your business.
We’ve worked with a couple of very reliable IT Finance Brokers over a number of years and are happy to act as middleman – furnishing you with indicative numbers initially and then putting you in direct contact to agree the Ts & Cs if you wish to pursue further.
Below is a brief overview on the types of assets that we are able to assist in finding funding for, which can be facilitated over lease or hire purchase finance agreements and over terms of up to 5 years.
- Vehicles
- Plant & Machinery
- Manufacturing Equipment
- IT Hardware & Software
- Refurbishments & Furniture
- Warehouse Racking and Flooring
- Solar / Green Energy
- Working Capital Loans
- Tax & VAT Loans (from 3 months to 12-month terms)
- Invoice Factoring Facilities
We are now getting reports that lenders are starting to reduce their rates following numerous increases over the past year, so if you are looking to purchase and finance any equipment or assets for the business in the near future, the outlook is starting to look a lot more positive.
Again, just ask.
