Intel, in association with Mecer, is running a competition to search for SA`s oldest operational PC in use by business. The winner will have their 'ancient` system replaced by a brand new, high-end Mecer desktop PC.
The purpose of the competition is to highlight the importance for businesses to replace aging hardware and software in order to improve productivity and avoid problems such as breakdowns, data loss, downtime and security breaches.
"Imagine a company running its accounts on an IBM 5150 PC with its Intel 8088 processor, 640k of RAM and twin 360k floppy drives. Perhaps you know some business person who drags along their 12.5kg Kaypro 10 portable PC with its 64k of RAM, 10MB hard drive and copy of Ashton-Tate`s DBASE II because 'it was good enough for their grandfather`," says Steve Nossel, country manager for Intel South Africa.
"It`s not as far-fetched as some would believe as there are businesses out there that are still using older PCs, and in many cases systems that could qualify as 'antiques`, to run critical areas of their business."
According to BMI-TechKnowledge, organisations have been extending the operational lifespan of their existing PCs for two reasons - pressure on cash flow and the systems in place have been doing an adequate job.
However, the replacement cycle can be extended only for so long before major maintenance and upgrade of equipment starts to impact on expenditure and productivity.
"South African businesses have historically remained shy when it comes to upgrading or replacing IT systems," says Nossel. "The last major replacement cycle occurred in 2000, driven mainly by fears of the Y2K bug.
"Since then, few companies have recognised the importance, or need, to upgrade their PC environment with many quite happy to run older systems with operating systems such as MS-DOS, OS/2, Windows 3.1, 95, 98 or ME. The rationale behind this is that the machines are still capable of doing their job.
"Unfortunately, the IT landscape has changed a lot in the last four years. Newer operating systems and applications require machines with faster CPUs, more RAM and larger hard drives. At the same time we have witnessed an explosion in the number of viruses and increase in their sophistication with a shift from merely being a nuisance to actually stealing important data and damaging systems and in an effort to cope, anti-virus vendors have had to produce resource-heavy products that are capable of coping with this new wave of cyber-terrorism."
Adds Nossel: "Cost can no longer be used as an excuse for delaying upgrades as the last year has seen drastic cuts in PC component prices combined with a strong rand and the abolition of the ad valorem duty on computer equipment and these savings have been passed onto end-users by vendors."
To enter the competition, go to http://www.mecer.co.za/oldestpc.
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