You ordered equipment four months ago. The announced date has passed. You are given a new one, three weeks later. It too has passed.
At Infologo, an IT service provider in Geneva and Lausanne, we’ve been dealing with this scenario for several quarters now, and it’s not getting any better. The conclusion we draw is simple: planning the renewal of your IT assets 12-18 months ahead is no longer good practice for cautious CIOs; it has become an operational necessity for all SMEs in French-speaking Switzerland.
What delivery times really mean
Suppliers don’t necessarily lie when they announce a date. They just don’t know. On a recent case we’re handling, an HPE Aruba delivery notice arrived on the 17th for delivery on the 16th. The next day, the distributor assured us that stock was available. The new date was set for the 24th. At the time of writing, of course, confidence is limited.
This is not an isolated case. With network infrastructure in particular (switches, Wi-Fi access points, routers), delivery dates keep shifting in successive waves, often without a clear logistical explanation from the customer’s side. At the same time, an urgent order for another customer arrived much earlier than expected. Unpredictability works both ways, making planning based on supplier delivery dates completely ineffective.
Post, screens, telephony: the next segments at risk
Delivery problems are not limited to network equipment. Desktops and monitors fall into the same category. A customer who has been waiting six months for a replacement screen for an accounting workstation doesn’t have a budget problem; he has an advance planning problem. The difference between managed and unmanaged renewal is often a 12-month gap in the order.
At Infologo, we recommend that our clients map out the “ages” of their IT infrastructure right from the start, before the delays get any worse. A computer that is 4 years old today will be 5 years old in 12 months, with the delivery time for its replacement having lengthened even further.
What we recommend at Infologo
Stop basing your IT purchasing on the dates announced by distributors. It’s not bad will on their part; it’s structural. Production cycles, logistical tensions and stock reallocations make these dates indicative at best.
The method that works: audit your fleet now, identify the equipment that will reach end-of-life in the next 18 months, and place orders accordingly.
For critical network equipment (firewalls, core switches), keep a replacement inventory on hand if possible, or negotiate a firm delivery commitment with your reseller.
An SME in French-speaking Switzerland that renews its IT equipment 12 to 18 months before the foreseeable end-of-life date avoids both operational disruptions and the additional costs of emergency purchases.
Don’t know where your fleet stands? Contact us for a quick, no-obligation inventory.
