You Waste 17 Hours Per Year On This
Is This Happening To You And Your Employees?
Nothing is more frustrating than being made to wait; especially when that waiting seems unnecessary. And when it comes to waiting for your computer to start up, most business owners and their employees are all too familiar with the frustration of impatiently watching as their computer goes through the slow and agonizing process of getting ready for you to actually use it.
Most Microsoft Windows computers take between 3-4 minutes to completely rev up, not including opening any programs outside of the start-up menu. Multiply that time over a year, and you’ve got yourself 17 hours of staring at the screen, drumming your fingers on the desk and trying to figure out how to be productive while your computer boots up.
Additionally, think of the time wasted by your employees. That’s 17 hours per year per employee when no work is being done — and you’re paying for every unproductive minute! Can’t you just see your company’s profit dollars going down the drain?
Do The Math
If, as the owner of your business you make $100 per hour and the average hourly wage for your 5 employees is $30, then:
$100 X 17 hours = $1,700 PLUS $30 X 5 X 17 hours = $2,550
This means your business wasted $4,250 in lost productivity for the year and this calculation doesn’t include benefits, taxes, etc. that you have to pay. Seriously, can you afford wasting $4200, especially in this crazy busy, competitive world?
Want To Cut Down On Time-Wasting?
Here are some tips on how to speed up computer start-up times:
- Remove “Bloat-ware” from all computers. Many new computers come with software already loaded on them, such as photo software, PDF Readers, games, etc. These programs, are called “bloat-ware” because they came with the machine, are usually not wanted or needed, and many have no valid use in business environments. They typically run processes in the background while you boot up and delay start-up. Get rid of them.
- Remove auto-loading software. If you’ve got any programs that start up when you power your computer on, you are significantly adding to the time it takes for your computer to be ready for use. Take these programs off the start menu or, if you don’t use them, simply delete them from the machine as mentioned in #1 above.
- Leave your computer on when you leave the office. Close open files and log off your computer but don’t shut down. When you come back in the morning, simply log back on. IMPORTANT: close all of your programs, especially your Password Manager and make sure your browsers are set NOT TO REMEMBER logins and passwords. In case of a breach, you don’t want to hand a hacker the keys to the kingdom!
- Make sure your anti-virus and firewall protection are up to date. Malware and other malicious software can slow down start times. These programs can embed themselves into the start-up menu and keep you waiting longer than necessary as your computer boots up. They also wreak havoc on your computer and/or steal information. So, it is important to protect your system from these kinds of attacks. Make sure you keep anti-virus and anti-malware programs up-to-date for maximum protection. At XSolutions, we update and run anti-virus scans every night on our managed workstations to deal with any infections our users may have picked up during their work day. We advise you to do the same.
- Upgrade your computer. Older versions of Windows will look for a CD or floppy to boot from before the computer actually begins the process of starting up. Lower amounts of memory installed on a computer also impacts its ability to start quickly. And, of course, simply having a fresh, clean and fast computer eliminates any miscellaneous software programs you may have installed that can bog down a machine. Older computers simply do not have the horsepower to run todays larger, more powerful, and resource-hungry software packages. Upgrade your computers every three years for maximum efficiency.
- Hire a Managed Services Provider or MSP to manage your network. An MSP will monitor and maintain your network to keep it safe, running fast and problem free. A well maintained network is a business productivity-enabler that will over time, dramatically lower the overall cost of your IT operations. Your network is a business asset, so treat it that way!
XSolutions is a Managed Services Provider (MSP) and provides 24/7/365 remote monitoring, scheduled workstation and server maintenance, Help Desk Services, Cloud & Hosted Services, Backup/Disaster Recovery, and Software Development. Call us at (845) 362-9675 and see how we can help your company.
