Hardware Shortfall – Using the Time to Your Advantage

We all understand the impact of the chip shortage on the tech industry, caused by a perfect storm of factors; increased demand with people working from home, raw materials shortages and even a container ship getting stuck in the Suez Canal.

In our recent podcast, Jimbo and Nick from the BestPath team discuss what they have been recommending companies can do while waiting on hardware to arrive, as it can actually give some much needed breathing space which they can use to their advantage.

You can listen to the podcast here, but just in case you’re pushed for time, we’ve captured the four main points below:

How often do we actually get the time to prepare properly for new hardware? These shortages offer the luxury of time to get teams trained up, processes defined and put into practice, and get operations on board. If you’d asked CTOs and IT Directors prior to 2020 what they most wanted, we think this would come near to the top of the list. So why not take advantage?

You can listen in at around the 15 and 20 minute mark for examples and ideas around what you may want to prioritise here.

Why not sit back and re-evaluate the plans and specifications you’ve put together? Chances are that you’ve learnt some lessons since placing your order, and can spot some efficiency gains along the way from changing kit specifications.

It’s a great opportunity to think differently about your IT infrastructure, initially to cover off the short term, but who knows how this could transform your operations? You can use Cloud as  a bridge while awaiting new kit, borrow kit from vendors or even use existing kit to model new solutions. This could  be used as Proof of Concept and aid in the Building of a  Business Case for longer term investment.

Jimbo and Nick chat more about this at or around 14m30s.

And if you’re curious to see where you may be on your hybrid cloud journey we’ve created a simple online questionnaire to see your organisation’s hybrid profile and understand the risks and rewards you could be facing. Interested in finding out if your organisation’s profile is one of “Ambitious Legacy” or maybe “Visionary Consolidator” and what should be on your to-do list. Check out the Cloud Maturity Tool here. 

Well why not? How often do you have the luxury of looking at previous projects done in a hurry or fast break fixes that you always said you’d look at properly later? Jimbo and Nick chat about revisiting old “band aid solutions” at 7m30s, which always throws up some interesting workarounds that with time can be made more efficient. At 23m25s they also chat through installing system monitoring, taking the opportunity to understand what systems and applications are underused and could be eliminated.  This provides an understanding of what applications are causing problems, and could further improve the efficiency of specifications of hardware moving forward.

In short, there’s a lot you could be doing while waiting for hardware - so take advantage of what is really a great opportunity to step back, take a breath and identify areas for improvement.

We’d love to hear stories from your side as to what you’ve been able to accomplish in this time.