Shipping Delays and Chip Shortages and Price Increases, Oh My!
We don’t have dock workers, China can’t get its shipping containers back, factories are behind in producing computer chips and glass, and because of that, prices are climbing. We’re seeing lots of clients limping along with aging hardware right now, desperately checking their order tracking and hoping they get their new gear before their current setup fails. We’re also seeing clients who have a need to spec out and buy replacement hardware, but the price hikes are just too much.
It’s brutal out there.
So, for now, we’ll have to love the one we’re with. Here are some things you can do to extend the life and functionality of your current hardware until we can get you newer, nicer gear.
Do an in-depth healthcheck and reconfigure where you can
If your Wi-Fi is a little weak, it could be because when you bought it you had less devices using it. It could be because one or two of your access points have since bit the dust. Whatever the cause, take some time to reassess the placement and configuration of your access points. If you want to do an analysis of your signal coverage, we can help with our predictive or onsite Wi-Fi surveys.
Servers hanging by a thread to keep up with the performance demands? Check to see if you can reconfigure your virtual machines. Maybe you can consolidate and get rid of a few, or reallocate resources to what machines and processes need it the most.
We can help take a close look at what you’re using and how and help you make the best out of it.
Leverage monitoring tools to keep a better pulse on resources and performance
There are several monitoring and alerting tools out there that can help you keep a better watch on your hardware and virtual machines, like ManageEngine, PRTG or SolarWinds.
These tools can help you monitor not only up/down, but performance and resource utilization, so if you want an alert when a drive exceeds 80 percent capacity – for example – then you can do that. It’ll help you more proactively reallocate as needed to keep your hardware running.
Get extended warranties on your hardware
For a monthly or annual cost, you can extend your hardware warranty, which can include parts replacement and service. Warranty providers have locations across the country where they warehouse replacement parts and can dispatch them out to you within four hours.
Learn more about your extended warranty options.
It’s a tough time for everyone, but we’ll get through it together.