Advertisement
Promo

Desktop platforms Toolkit

Story: Intel urges SMEs: Don't delay PC refresh

  • Previous comment

Posted by: manek (Monday 29 June 2009, 11:05 AM)

  • Reply

Beware geeks bearing advice

That survey covered a lot of ground, which means there's going to be a lot of variation across those geographies.

So just to be parochial for the moment and, I'd hope, not too complacently starry-eyed, in the UK the problem of viruses and other malware attacks is unlikely to be as bad as it would be in countries where software piracy is far more prevalent.

In my analyst days, we researched how this worked, and there is a strong correlation between average national income and software piracy: the lower the average wage, the higher the piracy rate. So far so obvious, but the consequence is naturally enough that people don't allow their systems to report back to Microsoft for updates, leaving them more vulnerable. But assuming that applying patches makes you safer - I'd guess overall it does although it ain't necessarily so - it's also the case that you don't need a new PC to be safer. Just uprate the OS...

I'm also surprised by PSU failure rates of 49 percent and HDD failures of about a third - you have to wonder whether many of the companies surveyed were taken for a ride by a local installer looking for more business.

It hardly needs repeating that hardware makers are bound, self-interestedly, to tell you to upgrade - especially in a recession when the PC cycle has been disrupted....

manek

manek
Consultant, Lewes
Member since: January 2004

Site Activity Rating:

5

This member is ranked #6 in our top 100


  • Previous comment

  • Reply to this comment
  • Return to story
  • Report this as offensive


Full Talkback thread


Video icon

Video

Microsoft Windows 7 Special Report Special Report

How Microsoft can make Windows 7 a success

How Microsoft can make Windows 7 a success

Comment Many businesses have given Vista a wide berth; Microsoft must focus on five areas to make sure Windows 7 doesn't suffer the same fate, argues TechRepublic's Jason Hiner

More Special Reports

Win a Creative Zen X-Fi2 player and accessories

Win a Creative Zen X-Fi2 player and accessories

What is ZDNet UK's usual tagline?

Competition closes - 14 Jan 2010

Desktop Management Benchmarking

Test Your Desktop Management Systems

How good are your company's desktop management solutions? How do they compare with those of your peers?

Take two minutes to complete our new Desktop Management and Energy Consumption benchmark, and find out what issues your business needs to focus on.


Skip Sub Navigation Links to CNET Brand Links

Help

Become part of the ZDNet community.

Newsletters