As rising hardware costs and supply chain instability continue to pressure IT budgets, organisations are increasingly turning to refurbished technology to maintain continuity and financial flexibility
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, May 27, 2026/ — Qrent (www.Qrent.co.za
[6]), a provider of IT asset management and sustainable refurbished
technology solutions, says organisations that continue delaying
technology refresh cycles in an effort to protect budgets may be
exposing themselves to greater operational and continuity risk.
The warning comes as global hardware costs continue to rise amid ongoing
supply chain disruption and increased demand for AI infrastructure..
According to Gartner, memory pricing is expected to increase
significantly, with DRAM forecast to rise by 125% and NAND by 234%,
contributing to widespread increases in IT hardware costs globally.
Kwirirai Rukowo, Managing Executive (MEA) at Qrent, says many
organisations are being forced into difficult procurement decisions as
financial pressure intensifies across the market.
“Businesses are facing a growing imbalance between operational demand
and available budget. Projects are being delayed, refresh cycles are
being extended and procurement decisions are increasingly being driven
by cost pressure rather than operational requirements. The role of IT is
not to wait for perfect market conditions, it is to keep the
organisation running regardless of them.” says Rukowo.
“While these decisions may appear financially responsible in the short
term, they often create greater long-term risk by reducing agility,
delaying deployment and placing strain on ageing infrastructure.”
Qrent says refurbished technology is increasingly being adopted as a
practical solution that allows organisations to maintain continuity
while managing rising procurement costs and hardware shortages.
Unlike new hardware procurement, refurbished technology is less exposed
to manufacturing delays, semiconductor allocation challenges and
international shipping constraints, allowing businesses to deploy
infrastructure more quickly and predictably.
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The company says refurbished enterprise-grade devices also offer
organisations greater financial flexibility by lowering upfront costs
while maintaining the performance required for most business
environments and workloads.
“Most organisations do not require the latest hardware specifications
to maintain productivity. What matters most is having reliable
technology available when the business needs it,” says Rukowo.
In addition to long-term procurement strategies, refurbished devices are
increasingly being used as short-term rental and bridging solutions
where new hardware lead times become impractical.
Qrent says this approach enables organisations to continue operating and
scaling without placing additional pressure on already constrained
capital budgets.
The company believes the broader market shift toward lifecycle
extension, refurbishment and circular technology models will continue
accelerating as organisations prioritise cost optimisation,
sustainability and operational resilience.
“Waiting for pricing or supply chains to stabilise is no longer a
strategy. Businesses that adopt more flexible sourcing and lifecycle
management approaches will be significantly better positioned to
maintain continuity and respond to changing market conditions,” says
Rukowo.
“Refurbished technology is no longer simply an alternative option. In
the current market, it has become an important mechanism for enabling
business continuity and smarter technology investment.”
