Your IT infrastructure should enable your business, not hold it back. But how do you know when it's time to invest in upgrades versus continuing to patch and maintain what you have?

Here are 5 clear warning signs that it's time to upgrade, plus specific recommendations on what to buy.

Sign #1: Your Network Can't Handle Current Load

Symptoms:

  • Slow file transfers between computers
  • Video calls lag or drop constantly
  • Network speeds under 100 Mbps
  • Users complain about "the internet being slow"

What this means: Your network switches or router are outdated. If you're still running 10/100 Mbps switches instead of gigabit, you're bottlenecking your entire network.

What to buy:

Cost: $200-800 depending on office size
ROI: Immediate productivity boost, fewer complaints

Browse our complete network equipment recommendations.

Sign #2: You're Spending Hours on Repetitive Manual Tasks

Symptoms:

  • Adding users to Exchange resources takes 30+ minutes
  • You manually click through admin centers for bulk operations
  • Password resets consume hours every week
  • Generating reports involves manual Excel work

What this means: You need automation tools. Your time costs money - if you're spending 10 hours/month on repetitive tasks at $20/hour, that's $2,400/year in wasted labor.

What to buy:

See the math: PowerShell vs Manual Administration Time Savings

Sign #3: Servers Are Out of Warranty and Failing

Symptoms:

  • Hardware is 7+ years old
  • Frequent hardware failures
  • Can't get replacement parts
  • Running unsupported operating systems

What this means: You're one hardware failure away from extended downtime. Old servers cost more in downtime and emergency repairs than planned upgrades.

What to buy:

  • Cloud migration to Microsoft 365 (eliminates on-prem servers)
  • New server if you need on-premises (Dell, HP, Lenovo)
  • NAS storage system for file sharing (cheaper than file servers)
  • UPS battery backup to protect remaining equipment

Sign #4: You Have No Visibility Into Network Issues

Symptoms:

  • You learn about problems when users complain
  • Can't identify which device/user is consuming bandwidth
  • No historical data to identify patterns
  • Troubleshooting takes hours of guesswork

What this means: You're flying blind. You need monitoring tools to see problems before they become emergencies.

What to buy:

Read: Best Network Monitoring Tools Compared

Sign #5: Security Incidents Are Increasing

Symptoms:

  • Phishing emails getting through
  • No multi-factor authentication
  • Running outdated antivirus
  • No firewall or basic consumer-grade firewall
  • Ransomware near-misses

What this means: Your security posture is weak. One successful attack costs 10x more than prevention.

What to buy:

Essential reading: Cybersecurity Basics for Small Business IT

How to Prioritize Upgrades

You probably can't afford to upgrade everything at once. Here's the priority order:

  1. Security first - MFA, firewalls, backups (prevents catastrophic losses)
  2. Automation tools - Saves time immediately, pays for itself in months
  3. Network infrastructure - Impacts everyone daily
  4. Monitoring tools - Prevents issues from becoming emergencies
  5. Server upgrades - Plan migration to cloud when possible

Calculate Your ROI

Before buying anything, calculate the return on investment:

Example: Buying BUTTER

  • Cost: $60/year
  • Time saved: 4 hours/month (bulk operations)
  • Labor cost saved: $80/month = $960/year
  • ROI: $900/year profit

Any tool that saves more money than it costs is a smart investment.

Don't Wait for a Crisis

The worst time to upgrade is during an emergency. Plan upgrades proactively:

  • Budget 10-15% of IT spend for annual upgrades
  • Replace equipment on 5-7 year cycles
  • Test new tools with trials before buying
  • Document everything for future reference

Your infrastructure should work FOR you, not against you. Invest wisely and watch productivity soar.

Start upgrading today: