With technology becoming more and more important to the success of your business, it becomes crucial that your staff gets reliable technology that will effectively run the programs they need, while giving them the level of mobility their position demands. This month we thought we’d take a look at the myriad of computing options that the modern business has when it’s looking to buy computers for its staff.
For the individuals, getting a new computer is exciting, but for the business, the hardware refresh is looked upon a little less favorably. Of course, having working technology is a must, so recycling your company’s old hardware and upgrading to something new is essentially a necessary expense. There are many different ways that a business can choose to go about spending their hardware budget; and, many different types of computers that have different value to different workers.
Basic Considerations
It may not seem like it’s all that important what type of PC you are buying as workstations. Of course, there are dozens of different manufacturers out there, but since they ultimately use the same type of hardware, you will be getting basically the same thing.
There are some obvious questions you will want to answer. They include:
- How much do I have to spend?
- What are the workstations for?
- Do you need any special components?
- What software will you be running on the system?
First, you have to purchase your new machines with your budget in mind. One thing that should be said: cheaper is not always better. Sure, you obviously don’t want to waste money, but buying bargain basement options may not give you the reliability your team needs.
Each workstation has to fit the position it is being used for. For example, if the person who is going to be using the machine most is someone that does a fair amount of their work outside of the office, purchasing a desktop computer may be shortsighted.
Moreover, each workstation needs to be able to handle the workloads and the minimum requirements for the software that they run. If you need a few workstations that are only for word processing or data entry, they will be simpler and less expensive to procure.
Other Workstation Tips
If you are buying computers, you will also want to take these variables into consideration:
- Always get the same OS - To make it easier to maintain, you will want all your workstations to run the same operating system. Today, there are Windows, macOS, and Chrome that come equipped on most machines, with the predominant computers running Microsoft Windows 10.
- Get the most powerful processor you can afford - This consideration is actually tougher than you may think, considering that there are so many processor types to choose from. The faster the processor, the faster the computer.
- Get enough RAM - Make sure that your computer has enough memory. Depending on what the user needs to do, you may need additional RAM to handle the workload. Typical office users might be fine with 8 gigabytes of RAM, but a user working in image editing or video editing would need a lot more.
There are a lot of considerations to make when looking to onboard new hires or complete an IT refresh. Luckily the IT professionals at Grove Networks can help you make the right IT procurement decisions for your needs and budget. If you would like some help making the right hardware choices for your business, call us today at (305) 448-6126.
