Thursday, September 6, 2012

Purchasing New Office Computers: Economical vs Cheap

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In today?s marketplace, computers are the link between everything. Be they different people on a single team, various subdivisions working on a single project, or branches all over the country or world, having reliable and efficient computers can greatly facilitate the sharing of information. In order to maximize efficiency in the office place, the most economic choice is not always the cheapest. When viewed over time, finding the right balance of upfront cost versus ongoing maintenance is essential for reaching maximum profitability.

One of the first concessions that must be made is cost versus performance. Obviously there is always a trade off here, so finding the right balance can ultimately save you money in the end. For instance, purchasing a slightly more expensive computer today that will meet the hardware requirements of tomorrow?s software will ultimately pay off by essentially cutting out an entire round of computer upgrades. Therefore, it is often best to go with established brands and companies with good warranties or replacement plans. For instance, Dell and HP often offer well powered machines in the $400-800 range, along with good maintenance plans. Choosing a well-powered machine will result in maximum optimization over time.

Availability of features is also an important step in making any technology purchasing decision. The old adage that ?more is better? is not always true when it comes to actual performance. Rather than purchasing additional options that you do not need, keep computers simple without sacrificing necessary abilities. For instance, some obvious things that computers will need are Ethernet, USB, and Local Storage. Other considerations also exist. Local storage will probably not need to be as large in a corporate environment with network attached storage. Other add-ons, such as card readers, will most likely not be necessary on all machines; things like CD drives, however, are often useful for IT staff, and to employees for various pieces of legacy software.

Another option to consider is thin clients. While thin clients do not have the necessary power for full-time computing in most scenarios, their efficiency is realized when leveraged over a large number of simple workstations. Utilizing something as small as the Raspberry Pi, a $35 computer with networking, USB, and HDMI/VGA output, would allow you to consolidate computing power into one or two larger servers. At this point, economies of scale can be used on the hardware side, and free software, such as Linux distributions, can give even a novice user quick access to Internet based applications in no time.

As with anything in business, finding a balance is important for the optimization of one?s technology needs. ?You get what you pay for? is especially true in the technology world where many counterfeit or knock-off products exist. As such, be sure to adequately research before any major expenditure and consult with your end-users to find what features are most important for your specific environment, and which ones can be sacrificed to produce a cheaper, yet still powerful and effective, computing alternative.

Source: http://veracity-solutions.com/2012/09/05/purchasing-new-office-computers-economical-vs-cheap/

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