The computers you get for your business are mainly determined by your core activities, the overall direction the company wants to take, and importantly your budget.

There are so many options that are available on the market, so to avoid being overwhelmed, we will build a three step shopping strategy that can help you to narrow down to the best suitable options for your staff.

Because computers can be used for a number of years before an upgrade becomes necessary, you should not to rush the decision neither should you commit unequivocal resources. A quick fix to your company computer needs may have you overspending on your computer budget. However, the price you pay needs to be justified by the technical specifications of the kind of machine and how that aligns with your staff computer needs.

Simply put your computers need to speak to the work that you do daily in your business and where you see yourself going in the short term and long term such that you have adequate technical support to meet your business objectives during the different times your business will be going through.

Your core business activities

The best place to start is knowing the type of activities at your company. Each industry has  specific technical requirements. For instance in the finance industry, the best types of computers or laptops is that which has a fast processor to allow for vast data sheets to be processed which decision making heavily depends on. It is also important to have an accounting keyboard as there is a lot of data inputting that happens in an accounting or finance role on a day to day basis.

An advertising company needs to include computers and laptops that support heavy design software and ensures fast seamless rendering of projects. The same applies for architectural businesses.

In the course of business, strategies often change. At some point the business may be keen to expand their business, and in another climate they are interested in improving their systems. With this information, one can always decipher the kind of computers they need. A simple administrative computer, or heavy processing computer that can process huge lists of customer data.

So, getting an idea of your activities will bring you to the next step, determining the types of users on your team.

How the staff uses technology

Now that you are aware of your business environment, you will need to determine the types users you have on your team. What work they do on a typical work day, and how often do they need the computer to run. Do they keep huge banks of data that need to organise, analyse or present? Will they need portable computer or a sturdy monitor? Do they need to create anything? Will they be presenting? Do they need any specific software? Which Operating Softwares will do the job?

Make a list of the roles in your company and determine how they use their computer in a day.

For instance, a company with

2 administrators,

3 accounting clerks,

4 technical members,

a finance manager,

a logistics officer,

an HR clerk,

a general manager etc.

It provides you with an outlook if the kinds of users you have. Who would do better with a CPU machine? Probably a role who works in the confines of the 8 to 5 and on their workstation. The same applies for a role that has sensitive information which is best kept at the office. You will also want to think about where your company server is hosted.

Curating a list of the above needs for each of your team members will assist in coming up with the technical aspects of the computers you require to buy.

When a role is regarded as a light user, consider for them a computer or laptop with any of the specifications below:

• 4 GB to 8 GB RAM
• Intel i5 CPU
• Minimal storage size needs e.g. HDD
• For laptops, smaller screens are more portable, but some prefer a larger display.

For your power users, however, the better suitable machine would be ranging in the specifications below:

• 16 GB RAM
• Intel i7 CPU
• (SSD) unless the user needs more than 1 TB of storage.
• Many power users also benefit from having dual monitor setups.

How much budget is allocated per department

First level budget $300 – $500

For administrators, receptionists, social media admins, support staff with limited needs who mostly use browsers and Microsoft packages like Word and Excel.

HP 250 G6 N3350 4GB 500GB $321.74	Lenovo Thinkpad X230 i7 $400	Lenovo Ideapad 110 N3060 500GB $301.31

Second level budget $600 – $900

For business multitaskers manage case sensitive info and work independently from the office, long meetings , presentations etc.

LENOVO FLEX5 14”  TOUCH I5 512 SSD $869.00	HP PB 450 G6 I5 16GB 1TB W10P $938.86	IDEAPAD S145-15AST I5 1 TB $690.00

Third level budget Above $1000

An executive with an image to uphold, needs a portable functional efficient machine.

DELL XPS 13 / 4K ULTRA HD TOUCH $3000	HP ZBOOK 15 G5 INTEL CORE I7-8750H $2020	MACBOOK AIR 13.3 M1 Chip 8-Core CPU $2106.00	LENOVO X1 CARBON I7, 512GB SSD $2800

We have a wide range of computers to meet all your business needs. Make an appointment with any of sales agents to narrow down best fits for your business.

Alternatively you can visit the shop at Eastgate Mall.

Is there anything specific you would like to know about getting computers for your business that I didn’t cover here? Leave a comment below with your questions for a quick response!