IT managers across the UK started opening hardware quotes this week and immediately cycled through all five stages of grief. Confusion. Denial. Anger. Bargaining. And finally: emailing the supplier to ask whether they’ve accidentally added an extra zero.

Sadly, the answer is no. Your quotes haven’t gone rogue, geopolitics has.

What’s actually happening?

Over the past week, the Middle East has entered one of the most volatile periods in years. Coordinated US–Israeli strikes on Iran triggered widespread retaliation across the Gulf, escalating into major disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical energy chokepoint. Around 20% of global oil supplies and similar levels of LNG normally pass through this narrow corridor.

As attacks intensified, shipping traffic collapsed. At least 150 vessels have dropped anchor, insurance providers have suspended war‑risk cover, and carriers are rerouting or pausing operations altogether. Oil and gas prices surged almost instantly, Brent crude jumped by up to 13% in early March, with LNG markets also spiking sharply.

When energy becomes unstable, manufacturing and logistics do too, especially for power‑hungry industries such as semiconductor fabrication, server production, and global freight.

In short: Oil goes up → manufacturing goes up → shipping goes up → your server quote now costs roughly the same as a 2017 Ford Focus.

The classic boardroom conversation

Finance: “Why has hardware gone up 20%?”

IT: “Global conflict is disrupting energy, shipping and manufacturing.”

Finance: “Right… but can we just move it to the cloud?”

IT: “Yes. If we power it using good vibes, hopes, and stray breezes.”

(Hyperscale datacentres, unfortunately, still run on electricity and lots of it.)

So what should you do?

If your next infrastructure quote looks terrifying, don’t panic. Somewhere in the Middle East, two countries are arguing and somehow your printer is involved.

But there is something you can do…

Shoothill hardware provision – The sensible bit

Amid all this volatility, Shoothill can help stabilise the parts of your IT world you can control:

✔ Competitive hardware pricing (even in a crisis)

We work with multiple distributors, meaning if one supply chain falters, we can often source alternatives.

✔ Expert guidance on when to buy and when to wait

We’ll tell you honestly whether to replace, delay, refurbish, or re‑spec — based on real‑world market conditions, not sales targets.

✔ Infrastructure planning that avoids nasty surprises

Need servers, switches, laptops, or full‑stack refreshes? We’ll assess lifecycle timing, energy requirements and risk exposure so you’re not blindsided by global events.

✔ Cybersecurity measures aligned with current threat alerts

With the NCSC urging UK organisations to strengthen resilience, we can help ensure your hardware, firmware and network stack are secured and monitored appropriately.