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Buying a computer on-line or
choosing a special offer from a retailer may look like a fabulous
bargain to a business owner; however it's important to consider
exactly what you are getting for your money before taking this
route. There are two
aspects to consider when buying. The first thing is the quality of
the computer you are buying and the second is the software.
Most equipment is made for
either the retail or the business market. The retail market
equipment is more lightly built, it doesn't have the strength and
stability of business equipment and you don't usually get such a
high quality of service from the supplier with home equipment.
Why are software
licences important?
When you buy a retail system,
either on-line or from a retailer, the licence you buy is what is
known as an OEM licence. This stands for 'Original Equipment
Manufacturer' and it is not a transferable software licence. The
software licence belongs to the computer and not to the owner of the
computer.
Why might you want a
transferable software licence? Well if, for example, the system is
stolen then you lose the licence as well as the computer. If you
upgrade your system and on-sell some equipment the software licence
goes with the computer.
But what if you decide to keep
your computer and upgrade the software? Well with OEM, the only
upgrade you can get is a retail upgrade and this usually costs more.
Also, the software package
that comes with a home computer might not have all the software you
need. For example, you might get Office Small Business Edition, but
that does not include MS Access, and if your business uses Access to
run a particular programme you might encounter problems that make
your retail bargain less appealing.
So what should
businesses be looking for when buying a computer?
For the hardware, you need a
good named brand and a business quality machine. For the software,
you need an "Open Value" licence. This means that you then own the
software licence and you can move it from machine to machine without
a problem.
With an Open Value licence you
can also add Software Assurance which gives you free software
upgrades for three years (extendable for a further three years) and
best of all, the cost for these licences and upgrades can be spread
over the whole six years.
This is a better proposition
for business owners who will see a reduction in the Total Cost of
Ownership (TCO) compared to the OEM/Retail upgrade approach.
If you need help to make a
decision on what software or hardware to choose for your business
contact us for unbiased, professional advice. |
