A key driver of productivity and efficiency can come from what hardware your using. But picking the best-fit hardware for your needs can be a difficult task. We make sure your hardware is suitable for your requirements and fast enough to keep up with your staff and their work.
Spoiled for Choice
An inevitable flipside to the huge strides in technology we have made over the last 50 years is that consumers are mostly spoiled for choice and feel befuddled when it comes to options and features.
Consider the last car you bought. Did it have ACC, ABS, ACC? Was it an AWD or fuelled by LPG?
Even if you're au fait with the countless acronyms and buzzwords, what percentage of average car buyers truly know what 'Brake Assist' or 'Electronic Fuel Injection' systems actually do, let alone the tangible benefits they can bring?
Add to the equation the less-than-scrupulous sales practices that are commonplace across many industries, geared to selling more units or up-selling to products over-spec'd for their customer's needs (does Granny really need that 13 inch Ipad Pro just to watch ‘Murder She Wrote’ in bed?).
It becomes increasingly understandable how both businesses and consumers feel lost when it comes to shopping for their needs and receiving sincere, impartial guidance.
CUTTING THROUGH THE SALES BS
At Ohnyx, we recognise that (in most instances) it's not the twin-clutch transmission or traction control system (etcetera, etcetera) that really floats your boat.
When shopping for a new car, most customers will care far more about how roomy and comfortable the interior is; whether there's plenty of space in the back for the kid's strollers or body boards for the beach; how economical or environmentally friendly the car is to run.
In fairness, others may be speed freaks and care deeply how quickly the car accelerates from 0 - 60, or whether there are a big ol' spoiler and phat, throaty exhaust.
Essentially, when buying a car, you want your specific needs to be met: your new car must fundamentally be 'fit for purpose' for your priorities and lifestyle.
IT in the workplace is no different. Bells and whistles are fine, if you have a genuine business need for them and if they're priced at a point that provides your business with real, tangible values.
FIT FOR PURPOSE?
Let's look at another industry: the building and construction trade.
A professional builder (and even an enthusiastic amateur) will find themselves spoiled for choice when shopping for something as simple and commonplace as a hammer.
A cheap $6.99 hammer will always be available from certain outlets, whilst a $69 hammer that looks much the same, at a cursory glance, is also available from specialist tool stores.
Joe Bloggs, the average consumer, is unlikely to know the difference between the two and chances are - Joe will pick the cheap hammer.
By contrast, a professional builder or experienced DIY enthusiast will know that whilst the two options look almost identical, the hammer with the higher ticket price will be of sturdier construction; offer superior durability; be better balanced; provide a better grip and offer greater shock absorption - and offer many other crucial benefits essential to a professional tradesman.
Your business IT hardware constitutes some of the most crucial tools in your arsenal. Without properly equipped IT hardware, employees will become frustrated, disillusioned, cantankerous and unproductive. Yet that doesn't necessarily mean they need a Mercedes Benz to achieve peak performance: it's all about horses for courses!
IT HARDWARE BESPOKE TO YOUR NEEDS
The lifecycle of a typical business desktop or laptop is around 3 to 4 years.
When we suggest specific hardware models, regardless of business purpose, we'll always recommend a bare minimum build (in terms of components and capability) that will provide sustained business-class performance throughout its estimable lifecycle, as well as offer 3-year manufacturer warranties on hardware defects.
We will advise our clients that due to the gradually increasing demand of evolving software, as well as increased processor demands and general degradation of components such as solid-state hard drives, any optimal performance beyond that period should very much be viewed as a bonus or 'borrowed time'.
Flexible & Adaptive
Additionally, we're adaptive in our approach and will always ensure that client's who are reliant upon aging hardware (while lacking the budget for a hardware refresh) have a custom backup solution in place that is appropriately robust in terms of regularity. This often means more scheduled, automated backups that would be typically needed during the first year's post-deployment.
Let's be clear: we're not saying that machines we've recommended will crap out after 4 years or become obsolete! Moreover that due to the ever-changing IT landscape, dated hardware will begin to struggle to perform to increasing required standards in order to facilitate optimal performance - which is what your business and workforce deserve - as well as what translates to increased productivity and profit, when all's said and done.
Even a great hammer can only whack so many nails before it's had its day.
Beyond our minimum spec recommendations, we'll keep your specific individual workstation needs high in our consideration when selecting and recommending hardware for your business. This ethos applies not just to individual PCs and laptops but extends to peripherals, network equipment and server solutions (where appropriate, for businesses that we don't recommend move to the cloud).