You’ve probably encountered bloatware before, even though you might not be familiar with the term. Essentially, bloatware refers to software that requires plenty of disk space and RAM but isn’t ever used.
Most bloatware comes pre-installed on your device. Sometimes third parties will have paid to have certain programs or links installed on your computer. Other times bloatware will be software from the manufacturer of your machine that you never actually need to use. For example, your Toshiba laptop could come preloaded with a Toshiba media player as well as Windows Media Player. If you’re like most people, you’ll only ever use the Windows version.
It’s a growing problem since the cost of RAM and disk storage has decreased. This means that manufacturers can pile on more bloatware without noticeably impacting performance. Unfortunately, bloatware can still slow down your machines. Microsoft recently introduced their Signature line of PCs, which come free from third party software. They state that Signature PCs start up 104% faster and have 28 minutes more battery life than the exact same laptops that use bloatware.
So, one of the main reasons why you’ll want to get rid of bloatware is that your systems will run slower. That’s never going to be the result you want, but it can be particularly troublesome if those devices are used for business. Business devices are typically used for hours at a time, often using programs that require a lot of RAM, so having bloatware can really slow down day-to-day operations.
However, reduced speed isn’t the only issue. If different team members are using different devices, they could end up using different platforms and programs that are not compatible with each other, so you really need to strip those alternative platforms and programs away.
If you do think you need to get rid of bloatware, just make sure you don’t do it yourself. It’s easy to pick out a few programs that you don’t need, but it can be tricky to get them all, and you might end up deleting something that is actually necessary for your device to run properly. Instead of going it alone, get in contact with an IT support professional.
