Older PCs lead to productivity loss in SMEs

Thiruvananthapuram: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in South India, using older PCs, are likely to experience reduced work place productivity and security vulnerabilities, according to a Microsoft study.

SMEs using computers that are over four years old and running older operating systems will experience significantly reduced workplace productivity as compared to newer PCs, it said.

The older PCs also expose organisations to security vulnerabilities and IT threats, according to Farhana Haque, Group Director-Devices, Microsoft India. SMEs have experienced older PCs being repaired almost four times than that of new PCs.

This can amount to at least 96 hours' worth of productive time lost, a press release quoting her said. Recovering data and maintaining business continuity is among the topmost challenges for SMEs in the South.

In the last year alone, 25 per cent of SMEs surveyed in South India said they had experienced a security breach.

Nearly 40 per cent of SMEs in the southern States are using outdated PCs and 62 per cent, older versions of Windows, the study said.

These findings were revealed in the latest Microsoft study in partnership with global SME IT market research and analyst organisation TechAisle, which polled almost 2,000 SMEs across Asia Pacific.

SMEs in the South, who have embraced a modern workplace strategy, have experienced multiple benefits for businesses and employees, including higher productivity, better security and reduced operating costs.

The study said 89 per cent of the southern SMEs saw improved IT efficiency by adopting newer PCs and 75 per cent of all SMEs agreed that adopting newer PCs enabled better usage experience through cloud and mobility solutions.