What to Look for in a Company Laptop

A laptop can be a valuable tool for any office environment, giving you a neat way of taking your work with you – ideal for when you have to show off your work to clients or colleagues in different departments.

Laptops might have taken a bit of a back seat recently with the rise of the tablet, but dedicated company laptops can still become an integral part of working life, especially if you’re constantly juggling working at the office and working off-site. Finding the perfect company laptop can be a challenge, so this month we’re looking at the different considerations you should focus on to make the whole process much easier.

How will it be used?

The very first thing to think about is what a laptop will be used for in your company. Identifying this will make your search much easier, as some laptops will be better suited to certain jobs than others. Video editors and graphic designers will need something with substantial graphical power, memory and speed, while ultra portability might be the decisive factor for those who are constantly travelling or visiting clients.

Specifications

Following on from the first point, choosing computer hardware or a company laptop with the right specifications can be a minefield to navigate, especially if you’re not sure what specifications are necessarily ‘good’ to start with. The main things to look out for are memory (RAM), processor (CPU), and storage space (hard drive).

Typically, you’ll want a laptop with a bare minimum of 4GB of RAM, however 8GB is quickly becoming the new standard, and 16GB will be more than enough for most workers – although this will be the recommended requirement for video editing, programming and graphic design.

Processors can be tricky, but you can keep things simple by sticking to the idea of dual core and quad core CPUs. Dual core processors will handle most general office tasks, such as word processing, light spreadsheet editing and surfing the internet. Quad core processors will be more substantial, allowing you to handle heavier tasks like the design and video editing we’ve already mentioned, and will be help run other programs faster, too.

Storage size has become less important with the advent of cloud technology, and the availability of sizeable USB drives. A 500GB hard drive should be more than enough, while 1TB will be playing it incredibly safe. You should be able to manage with something much smaller, like 128-256GB (this will help keep the laptop light, too).

If you’re looking to make your laptop as robust and efficient as possible, it might be worth opting for an SSD (solid state drive) as these a quicker than standard hard drives, and don’t have any moving parts, making them more reliable and longer lasting. These can bump up the price of your laptop dramatically, though, and it’s harder to find affordable SSDs with as much storage space as cheaper hard drives.

Battery

A company laptop should have good battery life, especially if you’re planning to use it regularly on the go. Bigger batteries will make for a heavier, thicker laptop, but that may be worth the extra few hours of operation. Most laptops will let you change the battery as you wish, so this can always be improved later on if you find the current battery just isn’t good enough. Just make sure to find a suitable battery for your make and model if you do decide to go this route.

Screen resolution and size

Laptops screens are in a much better place than they were a few years ago, and even smaller laptops boast crisp, HD displays without it inflating the cost. Screen size will be a factor in your decision, and will rely on how you plan to use the laptop. If it’s likely to only be moved in and around the office, a bigger screen can be handy. You might think about using the laptop as a second screen to go along with your desktop, so something bigger might be fitting.

If portability is the main concern, you’ll definitely be better off opting for something more humble, with 12-14 inch screens being more than enough for most purposes. A 1920×1080 resolution is the recommended standard, but you can try a higher resolution if you’re in need of the absolute sharpest image you can get.

Weight

Weight will influence portability more than anything. Tablets have become so popular because of their light, easy-to-handle form factor, and there’s much to be said about a thin, light and ultraportable laptop. For something you can keep close at hand at all times, go for something thin, with smaller storage capacity. If you plan to use it as a desktop companion, don’t be scared to go for something on the heftier end of the scale.

Accessories

Business laptops have a few extras you won’t find on the general consumer market. Fingerprint security, the ability to connect wirelessly to 4G networks when there’s no wifi, or even rugged casing for outdoor environments can all come in useful in different cases, so consider any unique requirements you might have before committing.

Indos Computer Services provide a range of IT support services to small and medium sized businesses throughout the St Albans, Watford and Hemel Hempstead areas. Our friendly team are on hand to help with any query, and are experienced with providing remote support and advice to help keep your business running as smoothly as possible. For more information, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today.