Hardware for business: how to purchase the gear you need

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If you’re not an IT specialist, managing and purchasing hardware for your business can be a real challenge. How do you know what you actually need? How many do you need? With a wide variety of products to choose from, it can get confusing. Are there better options out there? Have you considered both major and minor hardware? Are you able to replace any of your hardware with cloud-based software?

We’re here to help. In this article, we’ll look at both major and minor hardware for business. We’ll also go over a few strategies for deciding which gear is right for your operations. Let’s get started.

Major hardware for business

Major hardware refers to complex machines with lots of moving parts – you need these to keep your operations running smoothing. Some examples of major hardware include servers, computers, and networking components.

Major hardware components require a significant financial investment. Purchasing the right products for your business is vital, and if you make a mistake or implement the wrong solution, you could be holding your business back from reaching its full potential.

To make matters even more complex, the majority of your major hardware components have interoperability with each other – in other words, they can communicate and work together to enhance functionalities. If they are not implemented properly, you’ll miss out.

How to decide which major hardware for business is right for you?

Whether you’re kicking off a small-scale start-up or looking to update your business’s current hardware, it can be tricky determining where exactly to invest your budget. Here are a few strategies that might help.

Must have vs. nice to have

Start by writing two lists: one detailing the hardware that is absolutely necessary to running your business, and the other outlining hardware that would be ‘nice to have.’

Here are some questions worth asking as you consider potential hardware components:

• Why are you buying it? How will it facilitate your business’s operations?
• Who is going to run and maintain it? Does it require specialist knowledge?
• Will it integrate with your current hardware? Will you need to buy additional hardware to take advantage of its full functionalities?

Consider cloud computing

Business hardware is always changing, and recently, many businesses are opting to switch out their hardware for cloud computing that fulfils the same purpose.

Cloud computing is an umbrella term for anything that delivers hosted services over the internet. This includes infrastructure, storage, and software. So, for example, instead of using an in-house server, you could outsource storage or network functionalities to a third-party server.

Of course, there are pros and cons relating to cloud computing. Most obviously, if your internet connection experiences downtime, you won’t be able to access information stored on the cloud.

Major hardware for business: the essentials

Generally speaking, most businesses will require the following major hardware components:

• Computers. Even if it’s you and a friend in the garage running a start-up, desktop or laptop computers are an absolute must. For established businesses, it’s vital to keep your staff’s computers up-to-date.
• A network server solution. Does your business require a network to support databases, email applications, and other files? If so, you’ll need a reliable network server solution.
• A wireless router. Keep connected and get the internet speeds you need to operate at maximum efficiency with a suitable wireless router.
• External storage. Chances are, you and your employees will need more computer storage than what’s offered by your computer. Things like NAS for business and external hard drives can give your business the storage space it needs to grow.

Minor hardware for business

Alongside major hardware components, your business will need a number of minor hardware components. These small devices are usually used alongside major hardware and are essential for day-to-day operations.

Consider things like computer mice, keyboards, USB dongles, headsets, and other peripheral hardware.