Rented vs. Owned Laptops: What Suits Your Business
by Sayan Dey February 20, 2023 0 commentsLeasing laptops allows businesses to be more flexible with their technology needs. If you have a short-term project or need to add staff for a temporary period, leasing laptops can provide the necessary equipment without committing to a long-term investment. Additionally, rented laptops can be easily upgraded or exchanged as your business needs change. For businesses that require frequent project-based field setups, rented laptops can save on outright investment and logistics cost.
Buying your own laptops on the other hand has its own benefits. You get the latest hardware with a certain warranty and a level of service and support from the OEM to keep you worry-free.
So, whether you to rent or own laptops for your business is a tough question. Deciding between the two depends on a number of factors, like your budget, usage requirements, and technology needs. There’s no one size fits all. In order to make a judicial choice, you must evaluate both options carefully. Both call for logical assessment, not only on factors mentioned above, but on many others as well that may be specific to your business.
Let’s understand the keep additional things to keep in mind when leasing laptops for your business vis-à-vis buying your own.
More Stringent Security Assessment
If you lease laptops, it can pose a security risk as your business has no control over the laptop’s history or previous usage. If any of the rented laptops reach you in a compromised or infected state, it could pose a serious security risk to your organization. If you ask for completely cleaned out laptops and install the OS and apps on it yourself, then it shouldn’t be a problem. But, if the laptop comes pre-loaded with the OS and some apps, you’ll need to add an extra step of running an in-depth security scan on each machine before handing them out to your workforce. Plus of course, you need to ensure that all the software you’re getting is licensed and not pirated. These are things you don’t have to worry about when you buy a new device.
Watch Those Costs
It may be cost-effective to lease laptops for a short term, but it could turn out to be expensive in the long run. That’s because the rental fees will add up over time into a substantial amount. Plus, there might be other hidden charges you may not be aware of. For instance, some laptops may require upgrades in between for better performance, which may cost extra. Some may break because they were already worn out when they reached you and you missed noticing that. If it breaks while it’s in your possession, you may end up paying to get it fixed.
Therefore, assess your costs very carefully when leasing laptops and factor all these aspects in to get an idea of the total investment required. Be judicious about choosing your laptop rental partner. Make sure the process of equipment renting, terms and conditions and SLAs are crystal clear. There should also be a fair return policy which will help ensure reliability of the equipment you hire.
Quality of Hardware
When you buy a new device, you know you’re getting the latest hardware. However, this may not be the case with rented laptops. They might have outdated hardware, could have been over-used previously, mishandled, or have faulty hardware. As a result, you may have to get some of them replaced frequently, thereby losing previous productivity in the process. Therefore, check all machines very carefully to ensure they’re working properly and ensure that nothing’s broken.
The other option is to try and ensure that your laptop rental partner gives you machines with the latest components or completely new machines. This will ensure that you don’t end up requesting for upgrades later.
Service and Support
When you buy a new laptops, they’re already covered under warranty by default. However, when you hire laptops, you should sign a support agreement with the rental company for maintenance, upgrades, and repairs. If the company is not equipped to provide you the required support, it could lead to unplanned downtime and lost productivity. Therefore, you should rent from a company that provides really good customer service. Look for popular OEMs that have a good reputation for customer service and have a service center near your place of business.
Customization for Scalability
Rented laptops typically come with standard configurations and may not allow the level of customization required by a business. This could limit their effectiveness for specific business purposes and processes. This is why having a flexible and fair return system is crucial so that you can return the laptop and opt for a new one whenever needed. Local laptop rental service providers might not be able to provide a fast turnaround replacement service that easily, so discuss this aspect with your rental provider when sharing your requirement.
Plus, you should also check how much flexibility is there in adding or reducing devices as per your needs. As your business grows, you may require laptops, but there might be times when you don’t need a device as the project it was being used for was over. The vendor should give you equal flexibility of both adding as well as removing laptops from your fleet.
Conclusion
Renting laptops is a different ballgame as compared to buying your own. Things you wouldn’t pay attention to in new devices require extra care when renting them out. You therefore need to choose your laptop rental company carefully. For instance, check out HP Lease with ease. It’s a great place for a worry-free rental service. With its large network of service centers around the country, Lease with ease is able to provide reliable support and service and the latest devices.
If you want to subscribe to new and latest-generation laptops directly from an OEM, click here to visit Leasewithease.com.
No Comments so far
Jump into a conversationNo Comments Yet!
You can be the one to start a conversation.