Tip of the Week: Why Having an Extra Workstation is Worth It

For every business, it’s essential to be prepared for any unforeseen problems that can disrupt day-to-day operations. One easy way to do this is by keeping an extra workstation on hand.

Having a spare PC is actually a common recommendation for many business continuity plans. The purpose is to have a terminal ready to go that your employees can use for whenever their regular workstation must undergo repairs. Otherwise, they might just stand around with nothing to do, which adds up to a lot of lost productivity.

Considering how much money results from downtime, having an extra workstation on hand is well worth the expense. Also, it’s not like your spare PC has to be a state-of-the-art machine. In fact, a basic computer having just enough resources to run your mission-critical applications should do the trick.

Obtaining a spare PC doesn’t have to be difficult. If you’re a growing company that’s regularly refreshing your hardware, then it’s simply a matter of storing away an older PC that’s been replaced--assuming that it’s still in good working order and can perform the minimum job requirements.

If, on the other hand, you’re a newer company that hasn’t yet gone through a hardware refresh, then you’ll likely have to purchase a new computer in order to have an extra one on hand. Just keep in mind that you don’t have to buy anything fancy. After all, you just need a spare PC.

While we’re on the subject of swapping out workstations, let this scenario serve as a reminder of why it’s best to store all work-related files and applications over a company server or cloud storage solution. That way, all one would have to do in order to keep the project moving forward, is simply unplug one computer and swap it out for another. Plus, if your applications are running over the network, then the terminal needed to access the software would only have to be something basic and affordable, like a thin client.

Alternatively, going with BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) may suffice in your time of hardware repair. If an employee can use their own mobile device, like a laptop, to access the network and get work done, then pulling their workstation in order to fix it shouldn’t hinder operations. However, if you go this route, you’ll want to make sure that proper security measures have first been implemented before allowing a personal device to access company files. Also, even if you allow for BYOD in your office, it’s still a good idea to have a spare PC on hand.

At the end of the day, having an extra workstation comes with many benefits, and it’s just one of the many precautions you can take to ensure that operations will continue while downed technology is getting repaired or replaced. For more tips on how to protect your assets with a bulletproof business continuity plan, give Preferred a call at 708-781-7110.