In the offices, computer is used for drafting letters and preparing reports
When you’re establishing your small business, one of the first significant purchases you’re likely to make are new computers for yourself and any employees. For many people, this may be an easy decision; you might already be loyal to a particular brand because of your personal use, or you’re well-versed in the technical specifications and can easily identify which is the best office computer that meets your needs and fits within your budget.
It’s also important to keep in mind that, while the majority of communications take place online these days, phones are still an important part of any business. More businesses are choosing voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) phones which are cheaper and offer more features than traditional phones. RingCentral is a VoIP provider that offers unlimited phone calls, audio and video meetings, and apps that let you make calls from your smartphone or computer. It’s great for companies looking for a phone system that will scale with them. Try RingCentral free for 15 days.
When choosing a new computer, the first decision you’re likely to make is whether you want a desktop or a laptop. Desktops offer more power for a similar or lower price but are fixed to your work station. Laptops, however, are smaller, lighter, and portable but this comes with a higher cost for similar or sometimes lower power. Desktops are also easier to repair and upgrade, where some components in laptops are integrated and/or fixed into place and can’t be easily replaced if something goes wrong.
Because of this, we recommend that you only consider laptops for those employees who require the portability — salespeople, for example. If you’re looking for the best laptop for your small business, check out our guide here. For everyone else who’s work is limited to their desks, desktop computers provide a better value and will be the focus of this guide.
Operating System
The next question (or for some people, the first) you need to ask yourself is which operating system (OS) you would like your desktop computers to run on — Windows or Apple’s OS X.
Windows is generally the standard choice, except for businesses that are focused primarily on design or graphics where you’re more likely to find Apple computers (colloquially known as “Macs”). And even then, Macs are gaining increasingly more market share and are more common in more traditional offices where employees are free to choose their own machines and are comfortable with the Mac user experience because of other devices they own personally (iPhones, iPads, etc.).
If you don’t already know which of the two you’d prefer, we generally recommend Windows as it’s more widely-used.