Small and medium businesses (SMBs) in India that use PCs which are more than four years old and running older operating systems can experience more than double productivity losses as compared to newer PCs, Microsoft has said in its report. It claims that not just work efficiencies, the older PCs expose organisations to security vulnerabilities and IT threats. As per the Windows-maker, nearly 43 per cent SMBs in the country still own PCs that are more than four years old and are running older operating systems.
Microsoft says that SMBs that have already embraced modern workplace strategy have experienced higher productivity, reduced costs, and enhanced security. As per the findings revealed in the Microsoft study that the company undertook in partnership with global SMB IT market research and analyst organisation TechAisle, 95 per cent of the SMBs surveyed agreed that adopting new PCs has reduced overall maintenance costs and 83 per cent of them has seen higher productivity benefits.
‘Technology can be a real enabler for businesses, both small and large, and SMBs need to recognise the value that IT investment can bring to their present and future growth. SMBs employ over 110 million people in India, significantly contributing to India’s economic growth. Microsoft is helping SMBs in India realise their ambitions and succeed in this competitive marketplace,’ Farhana Haque, Group Director – Devices, Microsoft India, said in a statement.
According to the study, nearly two-thirds of SMBs surveyed (66 per cent) said they neither have a PC refresh policy nor were they actively pursuing it. The lack of a strategic PC refresh policy can result in greater repercussions in the long run. There is a 3.8 times higher chance of old PCs requiring repairs, which can result in at least 132 hours’ worth of productive time lost, Microsoft said.
