Are you cheap about replacing your workers' laptops?

You're trying to deal with a tight budget in the face of a recession and declining sales. So you decide to postpone the purchase of new laptop computers for a year or more. That's a mistake, according to a new report released by technology consulting firm J. Gold Associates LLC.

Delaying the replacement of laptops two years beyond the traditional three-year life span could cost a company more than $1,000 per machine, ironically more than the replacement cost. And the use of outdated equipment may cost a company nearly $10,000 per laptop in lost worker productivity, not to mention a bigger bill for repair costs.

So what's a company to do? Be smart, according to Jack Gold, president of the consulting firm. Some companies are replacing old laptops with less expensive smartphones or other handheld devices because "if you only read email, you can eliminate the laptop," Gold said.

In the meantime, be smart about your laptops and stick with the replacement schedule instead of spreading it out. At the end of the day, your employees' work is only as good as the equipment they use to produce it.

For more on staying on schedule to replace computers:
- check out this ComputerWorld.com article

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