Software--If you have lots of different software running on different computers, incompatibility will cost you time and money in constant upgrades. If you have standardized software running throughout the organization your upgrades will be easier to facilitate and save you time. You will still have to spend money occasionally to upgrade and to have a technical expert customize and test the software. Uniformity will generally lead to quicker and cheaper problem solving. When you buy new computers, if they come with preinstalled software, make sure to choose older versions that are compatible with your existing computers. Returning to our example, having the correct editing software would reduce the time and effort of updating Website content.

Replacement--Computers don't last forever. Count on replacing them every three or four years. Prices these days range from $700 to $1,000 for a network ready PC. Getting on a hardware cycling schedule will also help reduce hardware technical support costs since your PCs will never be more than four years old.

Connectivity--You can realize the power of computing when your PCs are networked in-house or through the Internet. The number of connections and the speed are two key things to consider here. When you do any wiring or purchase any network hardware, think ahead and assume that you'll have more people on the network in the future. The upfront expense of using high-speed networking (100 million bits per second--mbps) and Internet (DSL or cable) connections will always save you money in the end. Again, in terms of the investment of staff time and effort, the nonprofit in our scenario would benefit from a faster Internet connection when uploading documents to their Web site.