A new survey reveals that in the past year, nearly 43 per cent of SMBs experienced breaches related to PC security and data theft
A PC over four years old is 2.7 times more likely to undergo repairs, thus resulting in the loss of productivity of small and medium businesses (SMBs), a new research has revealed.
Microsoft and Intel released the findings of the research by Techaisle, a leading global organisation in SMB IT market research and analyst, conducted on 2,156 SMBs across Asia Pacific region. The research found that the cost of keeping a four years old PC is $2,736 per device that is enough to replace the older device with two or more new PCs.
According to the study, 85 per cent of the larger SMBs in APAC, having over 500 employees, have PCs that are over four years old as compared to 60 per cent in smaller businesses employing less than 100 employees. The study highlighted the opportunities that SMBs in Asia Pacific region have in upgrading their modern devices at work.
Older PCs increase maintenance costs
Commenting on the findings, Bradley Hopkinson, Vice President, Consumer and Devices Sales, Asia, Microsoft, said, “PCs are the productive engines for most SMBs in the region, where organisations rely heavily on their devices for their day-to-day tasks. However, 7 in 10 SMBs surveyed have PCs that are older than four years, which significantly increases maintenance costs.
“With budget constraints being the number one IT challenge among SMBs today, business leaders should seek to adopt a device modernisation strategy so that they can maintain costs, while safeguarding their organisation from newer digital risks,” he suggested.
In the past year, as many as 67 per cent of SMBs have experienced breaches related to PC security and data theft, with just 15 per cent of respondents reporting these attacks, the study revealed.
The top business priorities for the respondents is increasing profitability, improving workforce productivity and business growth, it said.
SMBs look towards IT as a response for addressing their business issues. The major IT priorities included investing in PCs, security solutions and cloud solutions, the study highlighted.
Indian SMBs heavily rely on PCs
The research revealed that SMBs in India having a PC or laptop older than four years might be spending around Rs 93,500 (US$ 1,279) per device. The country is home to over 51 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), with a workforce of more than 114 million that contribute around 30 per cent to the GDP. The report revealed that despite the security risks and cost implications, 49 per cent of larger SMBs and 31 per cent of small SMBs are still using older PCs.
Commenting on the findings, Priyadarshi Mohapatra, Country General Manager – Consumer & Devices Sales, Microsoft India, said, “PCs are the productive engines for most SMBs in India, where organisations rely heavily on their devices for their day-to-day tasks. However, three in 10 SMBs in India surveyed have PCs that are older than four years, which significantly increases maintenance costs. Microsoft is investing in extending a secured and productive computing experience to SMBs across sizes and geographies of India, enabling them with a modern workplace.”
“With Windows 10, we are continuously working towards empowering these businesses and their employees with a platform that ensures best ever mobility and support to business applications. We are also continuously working with our OEM partner ecosystem for PCs and laptops across price points that offers SMBs relevant options depending on their size and requirements,” he added.
The new survey found out that in the past year, nearly 43 per cent of SMBs experienced breaches related to PC security and data theft. However, only 12 per cent of respondents reported such attacks.
In contrast, the businesses who have already adopted a strategy of modern workplace have experienced improved productivity, enhanced security and reduced costs. As per the survey, two-third SMBs witnessed improved efficiency by adopting newer PCs that enabled them with new experiences supported by mobility and cloud solutions.
