Is newest always best?

The pace of change in tech is something which seems to get faster each year. The advancement and capabilities of all aspects of tech is nothing short of magnificent.

However, when you are in the market to build or upgrade any element of your IT infrastructure, the level of choice that this rapid evolution brings can be overwhelming.

We typically find we can split our customer base in half – those who know exactly what they want (including the exact product features to be included), and those who know what equipment they need, but not the exact model (including the generation of that model).

At ETB, we stock a broad range of equipment and parts – across many generations of products too. But what makes one better than another? Is the newest generation always best? Unless you must have a feature like Gen 4 PCIE, or OCP network cards, then the answer is not always.

When you consider that the lifespan of a server could be anything from 6-12 years, it’s vital to ensure you have the highest spec that meets not only your current but also your future needs. But as always, when making any IT purchase, there are several factors involved in selecting the product that is the right fit for an organisation – new vs refurbished, off the shelf vs specially configured, direct vs indirect purchase.. the list goes on.

At the core of the decision-making process, however, is to understand what you want the product to do and work back from there. Once you know this, it is possible to match the product specification to your needs – this is where product specialist insight can help.

Why?

Well, many organisations seeking out new equipment through their company’s standard procurement processes will always be quoted for the latest version of that product. However, as we start to see the latest generations of product start to enter the refurbished market – take the 15^th Generation of Dell’s PowerEdge for example (of which ETB has several available here) – it is important to consider all options before making that investment, particularly if savings can be made.

Equally, it is possible to configure servers, networking switches and the like to meet specific needs or to develop a bespoke configuration of a product. For example, an organisation could upgrade a 14^th Gen PowerEdge resulting in the same compute power as 15^th Gen. This could have the added benefits of savings of 50-60% on buying new.

The ability to config and build bespoke refurbished stacks that meet the needs of the organisation – both from a technical and budget perspective – is a major draw for more and more organisations. As an added benefit, the warranties that ETB offers on all of its products are as competitive as those being offered by OEMs, giving added peace of mind.

We promise that we will never over spec anyone looking to make a purchase – whether they fall into the camp who have made a firm decision, or those who are seeking to understand what product is right for them. We will also advise which generation is right for your needs.

If you would like to discuss any of your purchasing needs with us, please contact us here.