One thing that will affect the success of your business is the technology you use to run it. If you want to make it ahead in the digital world, take advantage of everyday advances in the hardware field by making sure you make the latest in laptop and desktop technology available to your employees.
But, wait… Which should you choose? Laptops or desktops?
That’s a question that requires a slightly more in-depth analysis. Keep reading to learn more about which may be right for your company.
Desktops are best for…
Having a desktop computer sitting on top of (or under) your desk can have its advantages.
- Lower price: The prices for desktops are relatively lower than laptops. If you have a business that runs on a tight budget and you need to watch every dime, desktops may be for you.
- Mobility is not important: If your working force doesn’t need to travel a lot, or you don’t have employees who need to connect remotely from field sites, then you can opt for desktop computers. The multiple components of a desktop make it difficult to move them around.
- Ease of maintenance: Upgrading your desktop and doing minor maintenance on it can be done by novice techies. Anyone with the basic knowledge of computer hardware and its components – with perhaps a little help from YouTube videos – can do maintenance and upgrade jobs for you.
- Security matters to you: Having your data stored and accessed from machines within your domain and under your control will give you a more secure working environment. You won’t put your machines at risk by plugging them in from insecure Wi-Fi networks. Your employees won’t put your network at risk by using compromised laptops.
Laptops are best for…
On the other hand, you can opt to have your office working on laptops for any number of reasons.
- You can afford it: The price of a decent laptop will always be higher than a desktop computer with similar specifications. If you can afford to buy laptops, then by all means, do so. The compactness of the machines and the aesthetic value they add to your professional working environment is always a pleasant plus.
- Mobility matters to you: If you are a modern business with remote workers who connect to your central servers, then opt for laptops, since lugging a computer around the world is impossible.
- Your techs are experts: Well-established businesses often have their own tech support staff who can handle their system crashes. If your business already has this department, then you can handle any required repairs.
- Security isn’t top priority: Once you have your server and network security covered, you can confidently allow workers, contractors and clients to connect to you from a mobile device.
Both laptops and desktops are best for…
Then again, sometimes you’ll need to have both laptops and desktops in your office setup.
- Your staff’s preference is important: Sometimes your senior staff will prefer working on desktop computers while junior staff will prefer working on laptops. To create a healthy working environment, you should take what your individual workers want into consideration.
- The hardware is already in place: If you already have desktops in the working environment, and everyone is happy with them, don’t replace them. At least, not all of them. If you want to start upgrading your machines, prioritize who needs a laptop and who doesn’t.
- Your business process requires it: Some processes in your business will need a stable computer with both LAN and Wi-Fi connectivity. Then you’d need access to a desktop from a laptop or mobile device.
In the end, there’s no perfect answer. You’ll need to take different aspects of your business into consideration, including:
- Mobility and staff preferences
- Ease of upgrades and maintenance
- Security
- Business processes
- Your tech support’s capabilities
You will need to sit down and have a look at your business’ setup and then opt for the better choice – or go with both. We hope this article helped you reach that ultimate decision.
