Re: Works for me
A warranty for a start.
For casual use, probably not a lot. I'm not arguing for casuals here, I totally understand why a retiree and/or casual home user might have older kit...but in a business setting having something that old is shocking.
For business use where laptops get hammered it's not just about the speed. It's also about security, reliability, the physical appearance of the kit (you're expected to look smart for work, why would you be expected to wear a clean smart suit but rock up to a client with a scuffed battered laptop begging for a power socket??).
If you're the kind of employee that has to visit a lot of client sites and your travel expenses are covered, what's £1000 for a new laptop every two years in the grand scheme of things? It's bugger all. Especially if you also get a company car...how many people would happily drive around in an 8 year old company car?? Compa y cars get rotated in 2-3 year leases.
Laptops do wear out and become tatty over time. It's not just the battery etc either. The screens can suffer wear and tear on laptop, hi he's start to break, touch pads stop working, USB sockets and network sockets get damaged.
Also, most former corporate laptops don't always go to landfill they hit the second hand market these days...
Finally...newer kit is important to us as IT guys because when an employee rocks up somewhere with a shitty laptop that doesn't work properly because it's fucked it's not the beancounters that refused the upgrade that have to shoulder the bullshit fall out...it's the IT guys.
Employee: Sorry it's taking a while to boot, is there a power socket around here? IT problems...tsk am I right?
Client: Yeah our IT guy is cheap too.
In the sysadmin contracts I have, I specifically state in one of the clauses that any hardware support on kit over 4 years old is best effort only.
Usually if I advise that an old laptop needs replacing at a client and I adequately explain / demonstrate why...it usually is replaced. It's my job to do this, it's why IT guys are hired in the first place. The CEO has no idea when to replace kit, beancounters don't.
A lot of in house IT guys I've met over the decades are afraid to ask for money for reasons I can't fathom. As if confronting your boss about inadequate spending is some sort of crime against humanity.
If you don't step up at confront them then come the time you're sat in his office being asked to explain why things have gone to shit, you have no ammo.
There's two scenarios...
1.
CEO: So why is everything falling apart?
You: Well we really need new kit, I've been doing my best to hold the old kit together for as long as I can to avoid spending money, but I just can't keep up anymore.
CEO: Why did you not point this out sooner?
You: Because I didnt think I'd get the budget. It's also really expensive and I was trying to save you money.
Or...
2.
CEO: So why is everything falling apart?
You: Well, as you know from my regular emails, I've been trying to get budget to replace faulty kit for 6 months. I've printed the emails out for your reference...here. Further to those emails, I'd like suggest allocating more budget to solving the problem on a recurring basis and a review of all the kit on a quarterly basis. The problem is we aren't allocating budget when it's required. Either because you aren't greenlighting it or the finance guys are vetoing it. I've been very clear for some time that this problem was going to happen. As you can see in the emails I suggested a course of action 6 months ago, I priced it up and it worked out roughly equal to the annual cost of one company car to upgrade a whole department.
First example, you look like a moron. Second example you are in control and responsibility is laid bare. If you've followed the right path it stops being a "fucking IT problem" and becomes a senior decision makers problem...senior folks don't like shit on their doorstep that can demonstrably be linked to them. You'll get your budget.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
