PCs are trending at the moment. Hitting their highest level since 2014, PC sales surged during the pandemic. Worldwide sales increased by 32% over the course of just one year! It’s not surprising as many businesses needed to buy computers that better enabled remote work. And all the households that added computers for remote learning and entertainment.

Building on this success, Microsoft recently introduced Windows 11 (to be released later this year), which has a streamlined design similar to a smartphone. With a cleaner start menu and more ways to interact with windows, they’re making it easier for you to stay in the flow of work.

Why do growing sales and a new operating system matter? Technology is critical to resilience. Your organization needs computers that help your team get their work done efficiently and contribute to their happiness at work. Having a clear purchasing strategy helps make sure your team has the right tools and directly drives results. Here are a few considerations for purchasing computers for your organization:

Create a hardware budget per team member

• Having a managed budget helps keep costs predictable for the organization. Anticipating the expense per team member helps make sure each employee gets what they need.
• As we do more with computers and work from anywhere, it’s beneficial to include multiple monitors, docking stations, laptop bags, extra power adapters. Since these accessories are typically a matter of personal preference, you can build flexibility into your budget by giving an allowance to team members so they can choose what works best.
• Video meetings have become a standard, and we’ve all experienced the good and the bad (audio and video quality). We recommend not skipping on the expense of headphones and external cameras.

Offer a variety of options for what people need and want

• Computer needs can vary across roles, departments, or personal preferences. Giving your team options allows them to choose what works for them while also controlling costs.
• The mobility, performance, and design of the computers can impact your employees’ relationship with your organization’s technology. Within your budget, it’s helpful to provide options that are lightweight and can withstand movement (mobility), run fast when working with your applications and start-up quickly (performance), and have a bigger screen for productivity (design).

Invest in the right manufacturer’s warranty

• The base warranty covers hardware failures. It often excludes accidental damage (electrical surge, a dropped laptop, or liquid spill). Adding protection from incidents like this can save you the expense of repairing machines when things happen.
• You can also protect your investment by aligning the length of the warranty coverage to the timeframe of technology refreshes.
• Another important consideration: how warranty support is performed. Some warranties require you to mail the computer to the manufacturer for repair, while others send a technician to your office. Making onsite warranty support a standard can save you big on the cost of lost productivity and frustration.

Consider ‘desk hotelling’ in shared office spaces

• If your team primarily works from home, this gives people a workspace while in the office and could help reduce your organization’s real estate costs.
• With flexible workspaces, technology is key. While you may want to set up a computer on some shared desks, your team may be more productive if they can dock their laptop and connect to one or two monitors.

Manage a consistent refresh cycle

• As computers age, performance worsens, and the cost to maintain increases. Proactively planning for upgrades helps your business operate smoothly. When communicated with your team, it also sets clear expectations and shows your commitment to helping them reach their full potential.
• Rather than refreshing all computers at once, you can budget to replace 20-30% yearly. If you’re leasing, you can coordinate refreshing the hardware with your terms.
• Also, needs change and technology evolves. Offering an accessory “refresh” every few years can help your team do their job well and feel supported.

Purchasing Computers for Your Organization

Whether you’re leasing or purchasing outright, having a plan for purchasing the right computers for your team helps reduce your risks, manage and control costs, and foster happy employees.

As an IT partner, we help our small business clients by:

• tracking computer inventory to help inform their strategy for purchasing computers.
• recommending and sourcing computers that perform well in their environment

If you have any questions, contact us. We’re here to help you simplify your IT!