By: David Malmborg
Choosing the right laptop for your business requires an in-depth knowledge of your needs. There are many options for business laptops and choosing the correct one for your company can be daunting and time consuming if you don’t know what to look for. To choose the best performance laptop for your business you must first learn how to compare and contrast laptops by learning what to look for within each laptop and deciding the features that are important for your company.
Security: The Ponemon Institute examined 138 cases of lost or stolen business laptops and reported that on average, 80% of the expenses lost in these cases related to data loss and breaches. Key features to look for and compare between laptops are TPM (Trusted Platform Module), Fingerprint scanners or smart cards.
Mobility: A role within the mobility of a laptop is the battery life. Most laptops offer a 3 hour lasting battery life on average but laptops such as the Toshiba- Protégé R500 offer extended batteries to lengthen that time. If employees are out visiting customers all day, you may want to look into extended battery options offered between laptops. Weight and size are also key components in the mobility of a laptop.
Durability: A solidly constructed laptop will be a better long term investment for your company over a flimsy one that may fall apart after its first business meeting. Look at the laptop’s outer shell to determine which laptop may best suit your needs.
Wireless: Wi-Fi is a standard among laptops, allowing for users to connect to the internet where there is a hotspot or office network. Newer laptops are including SM/GPRS connectivity that allows for 3G connections to the internet much like a phone. This means that users would no longer need to search for hotspots or rely on Wi-Fi, creating more mobility.
In the Office: Laptops have become fast enough to be a main PC in an office setting and offer speed and mobile convenience in a way the desktops can’t. If your business is looking to primarily use laptops at desks and in meetings, look for ports or docking stations within the laptop allowing for easy plug in to all the cords needed for a desktop.
Customer Support: Customer support for business laptops is a necessity so be sure to see the type of service you will receive if ever there is a problem. Also, look into purchasing extended warranties to insure your investment in business laptops is secure.
Best Performance Laptop vs. Cost : By defining your business laptop needs and priorities, you can determine the best laptop for you. After narrowing down your choices to three or four, read consumer reports to help in deciding which laptop offers the best performance for the amount of money it costs.
David Malmborg works with Dell. When David is not working, he enjoys spending time with his two kids. For more information on Dell’s storage solutions, David recommends clicking here.
