It's no surprise to learn that without IT tools, a business is practically inoperable. We need devices to run our business efficiently, and we've long since moved beyond the idea that a pad of invoices and a chequered notebook are enough to manage our administration. Purchasing, accounting and accounting for the purchase of equipment is also a task, which includes deciding where to find the additional product if it is needed, not to mention the time-consuming task of deciding what capability and price range of notebook is needed.
Buying vs. Renting
An SME cannot be expected to be able to make an easy decision knowing all the technical parameters, and surveys have shown that a company may use a laptop for more than three years, so the consequences of a decision taken now will be with the company for a long time. It is not an easy situation for anyone considering purchasing any IT equipment, as there is a wide range of IT terms flying around as you browse through the specifications, as well as a huge variation in pricing. Small businesses often try to ask for help in making a choice, but it is not certain that the university student next door will be the most competent, even if he is sitting in front of a game all day and night.
An alternative to purchasing equipment is to hire it, but it is worth paying attention to detail. Although it may sound good to have a simple and predictable monthly cost and to be able to deduct the associated costs from the operating costs, it is worth looking carefully at all the points of the scheme on offer. It is not only the monthly cost of a laptop that matters, but in many cases the customer is left to deal with IT and maintenance problems on their own, which can lead to additional hidden costs and extra time.
Choosing the Right Partner
It is therefore worth choosing a partner where the offer is not simply that we can take the laptop under our arm once the contract has been signed and then have to take care of everything else. There are already schemes that fulfil the basic condition (i.e. you get a notebook and pay a monthly fee) but offer a much more complex package of services, taking the administrative and IT burden off the client's shoulders. Such a service starts with the full support of qualified staff to help you make the right choice. Of course, this will also require the customer to be aware of where, what, how often and with what software the laptop will be used in order to make the right choice.
The choice is indeed wide, ranging from very simple models, basically intended for office tasks, to more powerful machines that allow for more serious graphics-related work. When making your choice, it is important to consider how long the laptop will need to run without an external power source, whether you will need mobile internet access for work, how high the luminance of the display will be if you are working outdoors, and whether the hardware will be powerful enough if you are running specific software. It's worth considering whether you will want to connect the laptop to an external display, what media it can read and what connectors you will need.
Be Prepared for Everything
These parameters can then be weighed and assessed by a competent person to narrow down the list of products that are right for the purpose, and from there it is a matter of taste if the monthly cost is right for the job. The first step is done: the laptop is bought, but now comes the operation, which is likely to be trouble-free for years, but it is worth being prepared for any possible mishaps. Any IT product can fail, break, get lost or, in the worst case, be stolen, and if you rely on it for your work, such a failure can cause a financial loss. However, if you choose a rental scheme such as the one offered by us, these problems can be solved quickly and cost-effectively, as you can get a new laptop after paying a deposit. This is possible once a year, but it probably goes without saying how much of a financial advantage it is not to have to buy a new machine at full price.
From old to brand new
But sooner or later, every laptop will have served its time. Our service operates on a time-based contract, after which the machine is returned to the provider and the business can choose a brand new machine based on its needs. The previous laptop will be subject to a certified data wipe to ensure that no sensitive data is passed on to a third party, and the product will be taken care of properly and environmentally friendly after-life, so that the business is not burdened with this either.
In addition to all this, it is of course worth weighing up the pros and cons of renting. The fact is that the company will not own the asset and will not be able to resell it. It does not have to deal with data deletion and scrapping at the end of the contract, and it uses a service, so it can account for the financial aspects in its operating costs. And the tip of the iceberg is that Telekom provides expert help in selecting the right laptop, taking into account the customer's financial means and usage needs.
Contact us to learn more.