Why Root Cause Analysis Belongs in Your Incident Response Plan
Finding the root cause of an IT incident is what stops it from happening again.
If your last IT issue got fixed but never explained, you may already be sitting on a repeat problem.
Here’s how it usually goes: an employee’s email gets compromised, your IT provider resets the password, the alerts stop, and everyone moves on. But almost nobody asks the harder question — how did the attacker actually get in, and is that same weakness still open somewhere else in your business?
That question is the entire purpose of root cause analysis (RCA). It’s the difference between putting out a fire and finding out what’s been leaking gas into the building. Skip it, and you’re not preventing the next incident — you’re just waiting for it.
What Root Cause Analysis Actually Means for Your Business
Incident response is the emergency part: contain the threat, restore access, get back to work. Root cause analysis is the follow-up step that asks why it happened in the first place — a phishing gap, a missing security policy, an unpatched system, a training blind spot. Without that step, your business ends up treating the same underlying weakness as a brand-new crisis every time it resurfaces.
Action Steps for You and Your IT Provider
Require a written root cause summary after any security incident — not just a “resolved” notification.
Ask whether your provider monitors for unusual sign-in locations and session activity, not just failed login attempts.
Confirm Conditional Access policies are enforced to block logins from unexpected countries or unmanaged devices.
Review whether staff training addresses the specific method behind the last incident, not just general reminders.
Ask your provider whether an incident was isolated or part of a broader pattern across your systems.
Build a root cause step into your written incident response plan, if you don’t already have one.
Schedule a 30-day follow-up review to confirm the fix actually held.
Questions Your Team Might Ask You
Q: We already fixed it — why dig further? A: Fixing the account doesn’t fix the door the attacker used to get in. Without knowing how it happened, you can’t be confident it won’t happen again the same way.
Q: Doesn’t this slow down how fast issues get resolved? A: No. Containment happens immediately, every time. Root cause review is a short follow-up step afterward — usually a summary or a brief call, not a delay.
Q: Is this really worth the extra step for a business our size? A: Yes — arguably more so. Smaller businesses often can’t absorb the same incident twice. Understanding the cause the first time is what keeps a bad week from becoming a bad year.
How Farmhouse Networking Helps
We recently helped a client contain an incident where an employee’s login session — not just her password — was stolen through a convincing fake sign-in page that looked identical to a real Microsoft 365 login. Containing it was step one. The real work was tracing exactly how the attacker got that session, confirming nothing else in the environment was exposed the same way, and closing the gap permanently.
That’s the process we apply to every incident we handle. Farmhouse Networking documents root cause on every security event, gives you a plain-language explanation of what actually happened and why, and makes sure the fix addresses the cause — not just the symptom.
Want to Know What’s Really Behind Your Last IT Incident?
If your business has had an IT issue that got resolved but never really explained, that’s worth a second look before it repeats itself. Email us at support@farmhousenetworking.com and we’ll walk you through what a proper root cause review looks like — plainly, and without the jargon.
Why waiting on that hardware upgrade could cost you more the longer you put it off
As computer prices continue to climb, planning your hardware refresh now can help your business avoid paying more later.
If you’ve been telling yourself “next quarter” every time a laptop upgrade comes up, it’s time to rethink that plan. Industry analysts are now projecting one of the steepest computer price increases in years, driven by a global memory chip shortage that shows no sign of easing. For business owners who’ve been putting off replacing aging machines, the math has changed. The equipment you delay buying today will likely cost meaningfully more tomorrow.
Why prices are rising now
The root cause is a supply crunch in memory chips — the RAM and storage components inside every computer. Analysts at Gartner project soaring memory costs will cut global PC shipments by over 10% in 2026, while pushing PC prices up 17% compared to 2025 levels. Combined DRAM and solid-state drive prices are expected to surge roughly 130% by the end of the year. The driver is straightforward: massive AI data center buildouts are consuming memory chip production, leaving less supply for everyday computers and laptops.
This isn’t a short-term blip. Analysts don’t expect prices to stabilize until sometime after 2027. Some manufacturers have already begun raising prices on popular devices and reducing memory in standard configurations to manage costs. Beyond pricing, availability is tightening too — component shortages are extending lead times on replacement parts and new equipment for many buyers.
For a business owner sitting on a five- or six-year-old fleet of machines, this creates a narrow window. Replacing aging hardware now, while at least some current-generation pricing is still available, is very likely cheaper than waiting another year.
Action steps to take now
Inventory your current hardware. List every workstation and laptop with its age and current performance issues.
Identify machines nearing end of useful life — slow boot times, frequent crashes, or inability to run current software are red flags.
Get a written quote for replacement now, even if you’re not ready to buy immediately, so you have a pricing baseline.
Prioritize replacements by business risk. Machines running critical software or storing sensitive data should move to the front of the line.
Build a rolling replacement budget instead of one large annual purchase, so future price swings hit smaller batches of equipment.
Ask your IT provider about bulk purchasing or reserving inventory ahead of need, which can help lock in current pricing.
Questions business owners are asking
Should we wait to see if prices come back down? Based on current forecasts, prices are expected to stay elevated well into 2027. Waiting is more likely to cost you more than save you.
Do we need to replace everything at once? No. A phased approach — prioritizing your oldest or most critical machines first — spreads out the cost while addressing the biggest risks.
Will refurbished or off-lease equipment help? It can be a reasonable option for lower-priority machines, but it should be evaluated case by case for reliability and support.
How do we know if a machine still has useful life left? Age, performance under current workloads, and whether it can run supported software are the key indicators. An IT assessment can quantify this clearly.
How Farmhouse Networking can help
Farmhouse Networking works with business owners across Oregon, Northern California, and New Mexico to plan hardware refreshes that make financial sense. We start with a straightforward assessment of your current equipment, flag machines that are approaching risk, and help you build a realistic replacement timeline and budget — not just a shopping list. We also help source and configure new equipment so you’re not left navigating a volatile market on your own.
The bottom line
The cost of waiting is no longer hypothetical. Every quarter you delay is a quarter closer to higher prices and tighter availability. If you’ve been meaning to upgrade, now is the time to plan it — not next year.
Email us at support@farmhousenetworking.com for a free hardware and lifecycle assessment. We’ll help you understand exactly where you stand and what a smart, budget-conscious upgrade plan looks like for your business.
Continuing education isn’t just for licensed professionals — it’s the most underused competitive advantage in small business
Business owners who invest in ongoing learning stay ahead of industry changes and better serve their clients.
Ask most small business owners how they stay current in their industry, and you’ll get a variation of the same answer: they read the occasional article, attend a conference when they can, and otherwise learn by doing.
That approach works — until it doesn’t.
Industries change. Regulations shift. Client expectations evolve. New competitors arrive with tools and knowledge that didn’t exist three years ago. The small business owners who fall behind are rarely the ones who made a bad decision. They’re the ones who stopped making decisions at all, because they stopped learning what their options were.
Continuing education for business owners is not about going back to school. It’s about staying deliberately current in your industry, your craft, your compliance obligations, and the technology your business depends on. It’s about being the person in the room who actually knows what’s happening in their field — not the one nodding along.
Action Steps for Business Owners and Their IT Teams
Identify the professional associations and certifying bodies that govern your industry and confirm what continuing education or recertification requirements apply to you or your licensed staff.
Build a structured learning calendar — one that includes time for courses, industry publications, relevant conferences, and peer networking. Treat it as a business expense, because it is one.
Look for CPE, CEU, or certification programs that align directly with where your industry is heading. AI, automation, regulatory changes, and client technology expectations are reshaping most sectors right now.
When professional development introduces new tools or workflows to your business, involve your IT provider early. Technology changes made without IT planning create security gaps, compatibility problems, and support headaches.
Encourage key staff to pursue continuing education in their functional areas — operations, finance, customer service, or technical disciplines. Your team’s knowledge is a direct asset to your clients.
Document what you and your staff have learned. In industries with licensing requirements, this protects you during audits. In industries without them, it differentiates you from competitors who cannot demonstrate the same commitment.
Review your technology stack alongside your continuing education cycle. New industry knowledge often reveals where your current tools are falling short.
Connect with local business resources — chambers of commerce, SCORE, Small Business Development Centers — for low-cost or no-cost professional development that is often highly practical and locally relevant.
Questions Your Clients or Prospects Might Ask
“What makes you different from your competitors?” Demonstrated commitment to staying current — through credentials, certifications, and relevant training — is a concrete and credible differentiator in almost every market.
“Are you keeping up with changes in the industry?” Clients in regulated or fast-moving sectors ask this more than most business owners expect. The answer should be specific, not generic.
“Do you work with businesses like mine?” Industry-specific continuing education lets you answer yes with evidence. It signals that your advice is informed by real sector knowledge, not general business intuition.
“How do you stay ahead of the technology changes in your field?” This question is becoming more common as clients see technology reshaping what good service looks like. A learning culture within your business is a strong and honest answer.
How Farmhouse Networking Can Help
Professional development drives change — new tools, new workflows, new approaches to serving clients. Farmhouse Networking helps small and mid-sized businesses make sure their IT infrastructure keeps pace with what their owners and teams are learning. When a course introduces a new cloud platform, when a certification requires new software, or when industry changes shift how your business operates, we make sure the technology side is ready to support it. We handle IT so you can focus on growing.
The best investment in your business is the knowledge behind it. Email support@farmhousenetworking.com and let’s make sure your technology is as current as you are.
The right technology stack helps SMBs improve security, streamline operations, and support long-term growth.
Businesses need technology that makes the company easier to run, safer to operate, and better at winning customers. The right stack can reduce manual work, improve communication, and create a more professional experience across every part of the business.
For owners, the focus should be on growth and operational clarity. For IT, the goal is secure, reliable systems that support collaboration, backup, automation, and customer-facing workflows.
Practical action steps
Replace disconnected tools with integrated platforms for email, files, CRM, and scheduling.
Use MFA, endpoint protection, and automated backups on every business device.
Improve your website and local SEO so customers can find and contact you more easily.
Automate repetitive workflows like reminders, approvals, and intake forms.
Create a technology roadmap so upgrades happen proactively instead of reactively.
Client questions and answers
Q: Do we need a managed IT provider? A: If technology downtime, security risk, or slow support hurts productivity, yes.
Q: What should we prioritize first? A: Security, backups, and the systems your team uses every day.
Q: How does technology help growth? A: Better tools improve response time, customer experience, visibility in search, and team efficiency.
Farmhouse Networking helps SMBs build dependable, secure, and growth-ready technology foundations without overcomplicating the stack. Email support@farmhousenetworking.com for more information about how Farmhouse Networking can help improve their business.
Small business leaders can reduce AI risk by building governance, review processes, and secure IT controls
Businesses are adopting AI faster than ever, often without realizing how many tools already include automation. The Colorado AI Act matters because if AI influences decisions that affect customers, employees, or applicants, your business may need to add oversight, disclosures, and human review.
For SMB owners, the best strategy is simple: know what AI you use, know what it affects, and know who is responsible. That keeps compliance manageable and reduces risk.
What your business should do
Start with an AI inventory across software, plugins, and cloud apps. Then identify which tools affect important decisions, customer experiences, or internal workflows.
Your IT team should review vendor contracts, access controls, logging, and data retention. They should also create a clear process for reviewing AI outputs, correcting mistakes, and responding to customer questions.
Questions customers may ask
Q: Is your business using AI to evaluate me? A: It may be, depending on the service or process.
Q: Can a person review the decision? A: Your business should be able to provide human review where needed.
Q: Why should I care about AI use? A: Because it affects fairness, accuracy, and transparency.
How Farmhouse Networking can help
Farmhouse Networking helps SMBs build a stronger IT foundation for AI governance, security, and compliance. We can help you identify risks, secure systems, and support the operational steps your business needs to take.
Email support@farmhousenetworking.com for more information about how Farmhouse Networking can help improve their business.
What Small Business Owners Need to Know About Health Plans and IT Risk
Small business leaders and IT teams should review how the 2027 NBPP proposed rule will change employee health plans, compliance requirements, and data security.
The 2027 NBPP proposed rule, issued February 11, 2026, will reset key rules for ACA Exchanges and small‑group health plans starting in 2027. As a small or mid‑sized business owner, these changes affect your benefit strategy, your HR workload, and the IT systems that support them.
Big Picture: What’s Changing
Catastrophic and some bronze plans can carry significantly higher out‑of‑pocket maximums, shifting more financial risk to employees.
CMS proposes multi‑year catastrophic plans and broader hardship exemptions, making catastrophic coverage more common among workers who cannot or do not enroll in richer plans.
Agents, brokers, and web‑brokers must use standardized HHS‑approved consent and eligibility review forms, creating more structured documentation.
Certain state‑mandated benefits will be treated as “in addition to” Essential Health Benefits, affecting plan design and cost structure.
Concrete Action Steps for Owners and IT
For the business owner/CEO:
Reevaluate your health benefits package
Ask your broker which 2027 plan designs they expect to offer and whether your team could be pushed toward higher‑OOP bronze or catastrophic options.
Model the total compensation impact if benefits become less generous and consider offsetting with stipends, HRAs, or plan upgrades.
Upgrade HR policy and employee education
Provide clear, written explanations of how deductibles, out‑of‑pocket maximums, and catastrophic coverage work under the new rules.
Set expectations about documentation employees should keep (especially standardized federal consent and eligibility forms tied to subsidies).
For your IT department or MSP:
Prepare your systems for new standardized forms and proofs
Ensure HRIS, payroll, and document systems can accept, tag, and secure HHS‑approved consent and application review forms your broker will use.
Build simple workflows for HR to retrieve this documentation during audits, disputes, or employee questions.
Tighten security around benefits and PHI‑adjacent data
Implement strong identity and access management, encryption, logging, and vendor controls for any system that touches health coverage or subsidy information.
Confirm that contracts with benefits platforms, brokers’ portals, and HR tools reflect updated privacy and security expectations.
Likely Employee Questions – And How to Answer
“Why did my maximum out‑of‑pocket jump so much?”
Under the 2027 NBPP, some bronze and catastrophic plans are allowed to exceed prior out‑of‑pocket caps, which can significantly increase your financial exposure if you get sick or injured.
“What are these new standardized forms from the broker?”
Federal rules now require standardized HHS‑approved consent and eligibility review forms to document the accuracy of your application and protect your subsidy eligibility.
“Are all state‑mandated benefits still fully covered?”
Not always; certain state‑required benefits are treated as outside the core Essential Health Benefits package, which may affect how they’re funded and covered.
How Farmhouse Networking Helps SMBs
Farmhouse Networking partners with small and mid‑sized businesses to turn regulatory change into structured, low‑friction processes:
Integrate new federal consent and eligibility documentation into your HR and document‑management stack, so HR can find what they need in seconds.
Implement or enhance cybersecurity controls around benefits, payroll, and identity data to reduce risk as health coverage documentation becomes more standardized and audit‑friendly.
Coordinate with your broker and benefits platforms so technical changes (new forms, new plan designs) are reflected cleanly in your systems with minimal disruption.
Call to Action Email support@farmhousenetworking.com to get a focused assessment of how the 2027 NBPP proposed rule intersects with your benefits, IT, and employee experience – and a concrete plan to get ahead of it.
Small business leaders should review AI assistant security settings with their IT team to protect customer data and reduce cybersecurity risks.
Every department in your company is experimenting with AI assistants for drafting emails, analyzing documents, and answering questions—but mis‑sharing data with these tools is rapidly becoming a top cybersecurity concern. As the business owner, you need AI productivity without turning your data into the next breach headline.
Key security risks with online AI assistants
Employees paste sensitive data (contracts, passwords, customer lists, financials) into public AI tools, creating uncontrolled copies outside your security perimeter.
AI agents that connect to email, CRM, and file shares can over‑index data and ignore internal permissions, exposing information to users who should not see it.
Shadow AI—unapproved tools adopted by teams—means no vendor vetting, no logging, and no consistent security controls.
Mis‑configured orchestration and weak authentication give attackers new ways to abuse AI agents to access systems and data.
Action plan for you and your IT team
Define an AI usage policy
Specify what data is never allowed in public AI (customer PII, financials, credentials, trade secrets).
List approved AI tools, who may use them, and for what business cases, and require IT review for any new AI platform.
Harden AI tools technically
Enforce single sign‑on, multifactor authentication, and role‑based access to AI assistants tied to your identity platform.
Configure least‑privilege access to email, CRM, and file systems and enable audit logging for AI actions and data access.
Monitor, train, and prepare for incidents
Monitor for unsanctioned AI usage and phase in secure alternatives.
Train staff on safe prompting habits: strip identifiers, avoid secrets, and use internal assistants where possible.
Update your incident‑response plan to include AI mis‑sharing, compromised AI accounts, and vendor‑side issues.
How to answer customer questions
“Are you putting our data into ChatGPT?”
“We only use AI within secure, approved platforms, and we prohibit staff from pasting your identifiable information into public AI tools.”
“Could your AI assistant leak our information?”
“We enforce strict access controls, logging, and vendor security requirements to prevent unauthorized access or cross‑customer exposure.”
“What happens if something goes wrong?”
“We have a defined response plan that includes containment, investigation, and transparent communication if an AI‑related incident affects your data.”
How Farmhouse Networking can help SMBs
Farmhouse Networking can assess where AI is already in use across your environment, identify the highest‑risk workflows, and recommend safer, governed alternatives. We help you implement secure AI architectures, policies, and training so your team can adopt AI confidently while keeping customer data, intellectual property, and compliance obligations under control.
Email support@farmhousenetworking.com for more information about how Farmhouse Networking can help improve your business and secure AI use.
Small business owners can use clear reporting and documentation systems to navigate 2026 charitable giving rules and maximize tax‑deductible donations.
If your business donates to local nonprofits, schools, or community projects, the 2026 charitable giving rules change how much of that generosity you can deduct. The mechanics are more complex, but with the right systems you can still give strategically and get the full benefit available.
What Changed for Small Businesses in 2026
Your corporation can now deduct charitable contributions only to the extent they exceed 1% of taxable income, and total deductible contributions are still capped at 10% of taxable income, with excess potentially carried forward up to five years.
As an individual owner, your personal deductions are subject to a 0.5% AGI floor, though cash gifts to qualifying public charities remain deductible up to 60% of AGI.
A new, permanent charitable deduction for non‑itemizers lets individuals deduct up to $1,000 (single) or $2,000 (joint) for qualifying gifts starting in 2026.
All of this sits on top of existing substantiation rules: written acknowledgments for gifts of $250 or more and additional requirements for non‑cash contributions.
Action Steps for Owners and IT Teams
For the business owner:
Revisit your giving strategy:
Identify how much you typically give each year and whether it clears the new 1% floor and stays within the 10% cap for corporate deductions.
Coordinate with your tax advisor:
Decide whether to increase or bunch certain donations into specific years so you actually realize the deductions you expect.
Clarify business vs. personal giving:
Separate corporate contributions from personal donations so both you and your company can plan around the new floors and limits.
For your IT or technical team:
Build a clear digital trail:
Implement structured storage for donation receipts and acknowledgments, linked to accounting entries and accessible for your CPA during tax season.
Standardize data and approvals:
Use simple forms or workflows where staff record donation details—amount, date, charity, purpose, and whether any benefits were received—before payments go out.
Security and retention:
Protect donor‑related and financial data with proper access controls and keep records long enough to support the five‑year carryforward window for excess contributions.
Questions Your Customers or Community Partners May Ask
“Is my company’s sponsorship of your event still tax‑deductible?”
It may be treated as a charitable contribution or as advertising/marketing depending on the benefits received; in either case, new floors and caps can affect the deduction.
“Does it still help me tax‑wise if I give small amounts?”
Smaller gifts may not exceed the new floors by themselves, which is why many taxpayers will see more benefit from fewer, larger, or more concentrated gifts.
“Why do you need to send such detailed receipts?”
The IRS requires specific elements in acknowledgments for gifts of $250 or more and for non‑cash donations, so detailed receipts protect both you and your donors.
How Farmhouse Networking Supports SMBs
Farmhouse Networking helps small and mid‑sized businesses turn charitable giving from an ad‑hoc expense into a well‑tracked, well‑documented, and strategically planned process. We integrate your accounting tools with secure document management, create simple digital forms for recording donations, and set up dashboards so you can see where you stand relative to the 1% floor and 10% cap.
We also support customer‑facing communication—website content, FAQs, and email updates—so your community partners understand that you are still committed to giving, and how the 2026 rules affect them.
Email support@farmhousenetworking.com to find out how Farmhouse Networking can help your business modernize its systems and make smarter, more strategic charitable giving decisions under the new 2026 regulations.
Use clear metrics like response time, uptime, and customer satisfaction to see if your IT provider is truly doing their job.
Businesses heavily rely on their IT providers to ensure smooth operations, enhance productivity, and safeguard data. However, determining whether your IT provider is doing their job effectively can be challenging. Here are some key indicators and evaluation criteria to help you assess their performance.
Quality of Service
1. Response Time and Resolution: A reliable IT provider should have short response times and lasting resolutions. Track how quickly they respond to issues and how often they resolve problems on the first attempt. Consistent delays or repeat issues may indicate they aren’t able to take care of your business properly.
2. Service Quality and Expertise: Evaluate the technical expertise of your IT provider. They should have a proven track record and relevant industry experience. Their ability to manage complex IT environments and provide innovative solutions is crucial.
Cost and Value
1. Cost Structure: Analyze the cost of your IT services, focus on the overall value of what they provide. A transparent pricing model with no hidden fees is also preferable.
2. Budget Management: Your IT provider should help you maintain a predictable IT budget. Proactive management of IT infrastructure should prevent unexpected costs and downtime.
Reliability and Security
1. Uptime and Availability: Assess the reliability of your IT provider in terms of network uptime and system availability. Downtime can lead to significant business losses, so aim for a provider with strong customer centric service level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee high uptime.
2. Security Measures: Inquire about the provider’s security protocols and compliance with regulations like PCI, CMMC, or HIPAA. A comprehensive security framework is essential to protect sensitive data from cyber threats .
Communication and Support
1. Communication Channels: Evaluate the effectiveness of the provider’s communication. They should offer multiple channels for support and maintain open, proactive communication about system updates or maintenance. You should not have to call them for issue status.
2. Customer Support: A dedicated support team can significantly enhance the user experience. Ensure that your provider offers readily available customer support and is responsive to inquiries .
Strategic Alignment
1. Business Understanding: Your IT provider should demonstrate an interest in your business strategy and goals. They should be involved in strategic discussions and provide technology solutions that align with your long-term objectives.
2. Flexibility and Scalability: The ability to customize services to meet your unique needs and scale them as your business grows is a valuable trait in an IT provider. This flexibility can enhance the overall value of their services. Your company should not have to bend to their technology stack.
Regular assessments and open communication with your provider can help ensure that they continue to meet your evolving needs. If you have doubts about your current IT provider, contact Farmhouse Networking to provide a free network evaluation.
Farmhouse Networking helps small businesses choose new computers where price reflects long term reliability, performance, and lower total cost of ownership.
Based on some recent experiences and plenty of past experiences, we thought it would be good to help customers make good choices when shopping for new computers. The easiest and best way is to trust us to do the research and know your company’s computing needs enough to provide you with the best computer for the best price. However there are some that like the thrill of the hunt and want to find the best “deal” themselves. They try to save money via sales that we honestly cannot compete with on price. This newsletter is meant to help guide them to the best options for solid performance and longevity in their investment.
Shopping Guide
Big Box Stores (Staples, Walmart, Costco, Best Buy, etc.): Seeing the local adds, these retailers are often at the top of the list for many people when shopping for a computer. They offer the convenience of being able to physically touch the computer being purchased and not having to wait for the computer to be shipped from some other part of the country. The downside is that these retailers are selling a commodity product for the smallest cost possible to maximize their profits. This means they are willing to have computers made from the least expensive parts and lowest build quality. They also find ways of scrimping on important features and masking this deficiency with flashy claims on features or partnerships with celebrity endorsements. Don’t be fooled these are disposable computers that will not stand up to the demands of a business environment.
Online Discount Sellers (eBay, Amazon, Google. Overstock, etc.): Bargain hunters are getting savvier with online tools and searches for the products they want. This type of “retailer” works much like the big box store, but you have to trust the pictures you see online and wait for the product to arrive from across the country or globe. These online stores are often just marketplaces where smaller retailers post their products to gain greater visibility then they could on their own. They are also notorious for selling what appear to be quality computers that have been “refurbished” in-house. These refurbished computers are usually years old and are a Frankenstein monster of spare used parts from their shop. Much like buying a car from a used car lot, you get all the troubles of someone else’s computer with all the reliability of a computer that is past its prime held together with old parts.
What to look for in a new computer
Business Class: This is important because manufactures who have this distinction on their products take the time to make a quality computer with mid-range parts. These computers will have all the needed features and typically last much longer then the disposable computers from other stores. If you go directly to the manufacturers website, they will typically have a section labeled Business that you can look through the models they have given this distinction.
Processors: This is the capacity of the computer to crunch through data. There are two main companies that make these chips, Intel and AMD. Intel is what I recommend for the majority of business users (except for those who only do light office work). They currently are using a system of Generations and i-series distinctions. The Generations help determine the age of the processor with the latest being 12th-generation processors, so if you are looking at a computer with a 9th-generation processor it is likely 3 years old out of the box. The i-series consists of i3, i5, i7, and i9 which is a measure of the raw computing power that the processor contains. Our recommendation for businesses are i5 for general office work and i7 if you are a power user who does many things at once.
Memory: This is the short-term memory capacity of the computer, so the more you have the more you can accomplish at once. These chips also have designations of DDR technology and PC-speed rating. The DDR technology has slowly changed over time and they are now shipping DDR5 chips for top of the line gaming computers, but for typical office computers the DDR4 technology will be the best performance per dollar. As for the PC-speed rating, it will somewhat match the DDR number with the latest in the PC5-38400 range, but again the PC4 with the highest number possible next to it will be sufficient. General office work can be accomplished with 8GB of RAM, but 16GB is becoming the new norm. Those who want more performance will need to go to 32GB or higher.
Hard Drive: This is the long-term memory storage of the computer. There have been massive improvements in technology on these in the past few years and performance has jumped substantially. This is one of the ways that big box stores save money the most, they sell an old fashioned hard drive in a new computer and performance suffers greatly. The newest technology is called NVMe and any new computer should contain this kind of hard drive to see the best performance. If cost is prohibitive, then at least get the previous technology of an SSD installed in the computer.
Everything Else: The rest is mostly personal taste. If you want wireless, then get one with wireless in it with the latest being WiFi6 and some include Bluetooth connections too. If you want a large screen, touchscreen, fingerprint scanner, lightweight, certain specific ports for your devices, or whatever other features – these will be the finishing touches that help shape your final choice.
If your company is going to looking to buys new computer, then contact us to save yourself the time and money of getting a computer or worse the wrong computer.
And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. - 2 Corinthians 9:8-10
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