Every year it's the same story. The year-end rush arrives, someone remembers that the accounts team's laptops are wheezing, and the plan becomes "let's sort it out in December". Then December comes, along with leave, school holidays and a supplier who says, "Ah, about that…"
This year we'd gently suggest a different plan. If you're replacing anything next year, start now, not in December. Here's why.
Prices are going up, and quotes don't last
Big AI data centres are soaking up memory chips. Memory and storage are what every laptop, PC and server needs to hold and work with your files, so when they cost more, everything that uses them costs more too.
Market researcher TrendForce expects memory and storage contract prices to keep rising this quarter. South African distributors are feeling it: one reports some laptops doubling in price, and another says supplier quotes are now valid for a very short time. If a deal doesn't close in time, the price simply goes up.
In plain terms, the quote sitting in your inbox may not be the price you pay if you wait a few weeks to decide.
And stock takes longer to arrive
Even once you've said yes, the kit still has to get here. Port updates for 7 to 13 October showed delays of 7 to 10 days at one of Durban's main container terminals and 10 to 16 days at the other, blamed on equipment failures, yard congestion and reduced capacity.
None of that is anyone's fault in your office. But it does mean "we'll order it next week" can quietly turn into "it arrives next month".
Meanwhile, at our place
Despite all that talk of hardware delays, we had a very good week. The first of two servers arrived, the most advanced we've ever worked on, and the second is due next week. We'll probably never be able to tell you what they do (sorry, we know that's annoying), but we can tell you the whole team is grinning like kids on Christmas morning. It's a reminder of why we love this work: quietly building amazing things for our customers, one carefully unboxed delivery at a time.
What to do now
None of this needs panic, just a bit of planning. Here's a simple list for business owners:
- List what's due. Write down every laptop, PC, server and storage device you expect to replace in the next 12 months, and note which ones are already struggling.
- Check your Windows 10 machines. On 13 October, the first year of paid security updates for Windows 10 ended, and so did the last paid updates for Windows Server 2012. Business PCs that haven't moved to Windows 11, or paid for a second year of updates, no longer get security fixes. Put those machines at the top of your list.
- Get quotes early, and be ready to decide. With quotes valid for a short time, agree on your budget and who signs off before the quote arrives, not after.
- Budget for higher prices. Build some room into next year's budget so a price rise doesn't stall the project.
- Allow for shipping delays. If a new hire starts in February, don't plan for their laptop to arrive the same week.
- Ask whether you need new hardware at all. Sometimes the better answer is to move a task to the cloud, or to give an older machine a new role. It's worth asking before you buy.
Certainty is Freedom
You can't control chip prices or the queue at Durban. You can control when you start. A plan made in October is calm. The same plan made in December is a scramble.
If you'd like help working out what's due and what it should cost, ask for our complimentary Spend Audit. You'll get the results in 48 hours, with no obligation. Then you can walk into next year knowing exactly what's coming.
Planning a refresh in the next year? Start now, not in December.