In the current economic climate, business owners are naturally looking at ways to contain costs and be as efficient as possible.
An example might be to forego replacing older equipment and machinery. Why change it, if it is still working?
When it comes to your multi-function printer / scanners, or even small desktop printers, it is important to consider the potential hidden costs of older devices.
Monthly contract charges. If you have a support contract with charges based on the number of pages produced, newer devices often have a cheaper price per page.
Too old to support? Typically, a support contract from the supplier will be reviewed after five years and might be withdrawn or be subject to a price rise at that point. Even if that hasn’t happened yet, when spare parts are next required, the manufacturer might use that trigger to terminate the contract. You would then be liable for such costs in future.
Frequency of breakdowns. If you don’t have a support contract and are paying for parts and labour when required, those costs will increase as older machines become less reliable.
Security. Business owners tend to focus on the security of computers without considering that their printers might be the weak link in their network. Older printers, weak printer passwords and a lack of firmware updates all contribute to making them vulnerable to hackers. Any security breach on your network could be costly – both financially and reputationally. Newer printers come with inbuilt protection that their predecessors didn’t have and can also include secure print options such as PIN codes or swipe cards.
Energy-efficiency. Newer devices not only reduce the carbon footprint of your business, but also reduce electricity costs as machines power themselves down when not active.
To find out more about suitable printing, copying and scanning solutions for your business, and how to spread the cost, please contact us or enter your details here.