Business Grade Builds

At Abstract, we highly recommend businesses avoid consumer grade devices, especially laptops. These devices are not designed to be repaired or upgraded, they are designed to be replaced. With business grade devices, you'll have longer device lifespans and fewer build issues. As a Dell partner, Abstract can assist you with getting good deals on business grade devices.

Minimum Specifications

Moving into 2025, as Windows 11 becomes the standard, our specifications have changed to accommodate the upgrade. To comfortably run Windows 11, basic web browsing, and enterprise software we recommend the following:

Computers

For computers (laptops and desktop PCs), plan to upgrade or replace them every 3-5 years--around 3 years for laptops and closer to 5 years for desktop PCs. After that point hardware starts to get dated, especially if the devices were minimum specs to begin with. Most warranties expire at the 3-year mark, so we recommend evaluation for upgrade or replacement at that point.

Monitors

Monitors can be replaced as necessary. There is no strict rule, as they can run for a long time without experiencing any issues. When they break, replace them.

Network Equipment

For network equipment, consider upgrades or replacement in 5-7 years. Typically we can rely on network equipment to last closer to seven years or more, but depending on company growth the equipment can become outpaced. Around 5 years after purchase your company should evaluate if they are still ideal for your usage or if they're at risk of outage. Abstract keeps an eye on these issues for our managed clients and proactively recommends replacements as they arise.

Servers

We recommend you upgrade or replace servers 5-7 years after purchase. Similar philosophies apply as with the network equipment, reevaluating your needs is crucial. Server accessories might abide by different timelines; backup drives for example tend to fail after 2-3 years of usage. Its good practice to check drives on a monthly basis for signs of failure.

Battery Backups

With battery backups, we strictly recommend a battery replacement 3 years after purchase, and a full unit replacement 6 years after purchase.