For most smaller businesses and agencies, the computers and hardware you buy for the office will be one of the biggest and most important investments you make in your formative years. You want everything to work well together, but you don’t want to pay through the nose. You want to set a certain standard, but you’re not opposed to clearance prices.
It’s tempting to jump straight to price and assume the more you pay, the better-quality equipment you’re getting. However, you can make much more rational and informed decisions if you consider your IT needs first, and then cost your requirements.
There’s a lot to consider, so a few good tips can go a long way.
- Be clear about business use
The hardware you need is closely linked to your overall business purpose. If you know what you want to be as a business and the product or service you want to build your reputation on, you can work back from that and find the best computer network to get you there.
To help frame the conversation you’ll have with the sales person or IT consultant down the line, it’s worth thinking about how you use IT within the business currently, what kind of software you rely on, and where there are any tech gaps that you feel hamper your professional offering.
Think about your business plan and where you want to take the operation in the next two to three years, and the role your business technology will play in getting you there.
Take employees into consideration and think about your preferred ways of working.
- Does everyone need a computer or to be online?
- Are portable devices and remote working a requirement?
- Do you have, or are you considering a Bring Your Own Device environment?
Taking time to ask and answer these questions will allow you to invest with confidence, knowing your operating system supports your business goals.
- Choose a needs-based operating system
The differences between Microsoft, Windows OS and Apple Mac OS operating systems aren’t huge, but the software used on them will differ.
There’s no hard and fast rule, but it’s not unusual for businesses that are more left-brain and linear thinking in nature, working with numbers, facts or logic for example, to go with PCs.
Businesses that offer more right-brain creative solutions around design, experience and visualisation, tend to run with Macs.
If you’re not sure what’s best or you’ve a mix of skillsets to provide for, talk to your software vendor or IT consultant (who may also provide hardware procurement as a service) to make sure you get an operating system that allows for as much consistency and parity as possible. That will stand to your business in terms of machine management and maintenance.
- Invest in your processor
Often referred to as the heart of your machine, it’s important to go for the best processor. It’s one of the more difficult parts to upgrade, so investing up-front is likely to save you money in the long run.
Speed is important. If it’s slow, your computers will be slow and the number of cores is something worth bearing in mind. Two cores would be the lower end of the recommended limit and if you’re in an industry that relies on IT for things such as creative design, animation, architectural modelling, imagery or heavy data analysis, extra cores will be essential.
- Think about adding more Memory or RAM
Memory might not be front of mind when you’re starting out, but it’s good to know you have the option of adding some, even if it is down the line, as it can help with speed and give you longevity on expensive equipment.
- If you’re thinking of going with refurbs – consider their age
Pre-loved computers might sound like money-saving genius, but for a professional business, it’s not ideal. Remember, the average lifespan for a computer working at optimal service levels is around three years.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that if you don’t invest in hardware such as the latest processor and motherboard, you could be jeopardising service and performance and find yourself out of pocket, paying for upgrades to extend the life of your hardware.
- Cost
Once you’ve answered the earlier questions around business use and employee needs, and you understand exactly how the hardware will help support your business plans as part of your IT roadmap, you’re in a good place to start pricing your wish list.
With the help of online research, you’ll get a sense of how far your budget will go. Everyone wants the best deal and there are numerous ways to make your IT spend a real investment and more efficient long-term, but getting good quality hardware on board should be your priority, so try not to get too caught up on cutting corners and driving the price down.
Keep your business deliverables and reputation front of mind and remember, downtime or a full-blown IT disaster, lost revenue and lost productivity (because of under-performing computers) will quickly cancel out any savings you might make by going low-end.
- Ask for help if you need it
It’s last, but by no means least, as an expert opinion could mean the difference between getting what you like and what you actually need. Replacing hardware is about so much more than buying new machines too, and can include:
- switching out old for new computers
- reinstalling software
- backing up data
- managing outage
- ensuring the impact of any downtime is minimised by having a business continuity plan
If you need help planning and managing that process, or need some IT support for your business in London, for example, do yourself and your business a favour and ask. An IT professional can help make the changeover as smooth as possible and offer advice to ensure the future health of your computer system.
Discover how the right IT choices will help your business or agency grow and how an IT consulting service can help you implement the right tech solutions by downloading our eBook on The Role of IT in Your Growing Agency:
