There’s supposedly an ancient Chinese curse that reads, “May you live in interesting times.” Few times could be considered more interesting, for better or for worse, than the past year. As a perfect storm of setbacks has created all sorts of problems for businesses, one problem in particular continues to plague IT departments: A shortage of PC and laptop hardware. 

What happened? A number of factors conspired to affect technology hardware production and distribution in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on the market by boosting the demand for PCs and laptops needed both for remote work and remote schooling. At the same time, the U.S.-China trade war aggravated a shortage of processor chips, forcing U.S. companies to scramble to ramp up production. According to Cisco, this shortage is expected to last through most of 2021.

How could this affect your IT situation? You may find your next visit to the local “big box” electronics stores somewhat frustrating. PCs, laptops, mobile devices, and electronic accessories have been flying off the shelves, potentially placing you in a pickle if you need to replace a failing device or grow your technological capabilities. Even if you do find what you need, you may also pay more than you should.

What can you do? Just as car owners may want to hang onto their vehicles instead of buying new ones, you may find it both easier and more cost effective to upgrade your existing machines with new parts, from additional RAM to solid-state drives. Our Austin IT support techs at Gravity Systems can advise you on smart upgrade strategies and install those parts for you. We can also serve as your purchaser for parts or even entire machines if you really need to expand your technology. Contact us to learn more!