Buying Laptops for a Small Business

BUSINESS · GLOBAL

Buying Laptops for a Small Business

Standardising, the specifications that matter, warranty and security

Buying computers for a business is a different exercise from buying one for yourself, because the cost of a machine failing is the time it takes out of somebody's week.

Standardise where you can

Buying the same model for everyone means one image, one set of spares, one charger type and one support conversation. A mixed fleet costs more in time than it ever saved at purchase.

Business ranges exist for this reason — longer availability of the same model, consistent parts and driver support.

The specifications that matter

16GB of memory as the floor, and check whether it is soldered, since many thin laptops cannot be upgraded. A 512GB solid state drive. Beyond that, processor choice matters less than people think for office work.

The screen matters most day to day — at least 300 nits of brightness and a matte finish for anyone working near windows.

Warranty and support

Next business day on-site cover costs more and is the point of buying business machines. Compare the cost of three years of that against a day of somebody's time.

Check whether repairs are handled locally or by return to base, since a machine posted away is a machine gone for a week.

Security

Full disk encryption enabled from day one, a TPM for device identity, strong unique passwords with two-factor authentication, and a way of wiping a lost device remotely.

Laptops are the device most likely to be lost or stolen, so back up to two places and know what data is on them.

Refurbished fleets

Ex-corporate machines are built to be repaired and sell at a substantial discount, frequently with a warranty. Check battery health and that the operating system licence is genuine and transferable.

Docks and desks

A single dock per desk turns a laptop into a workstation with one cable, and a monitor and separate keyboard prevent the neck problems that come from working on a laptop screen all day.

Employers in many countries have obligations to assess workstations, including for people working from home.

Leasing and refresh

Work out a replacement cycle — commonly three to four years — and budget for it rather than replacing machines only when they die. A planned refresh costs less than emergency purchases.

Software and licensing

Check what operating system licence is included and whether it is the business edition, since features such as device encryption and domain joining are not in home editions.

Disposal

Wipe drives properly and use a certified recycler, since data on a discarded machine is a real liability.

WHERE TO BUY

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