Let’s face it. Computer purchases can be time-consuming, daunting, and above all expensive (particularly if you get it wrong) – so it’s no surprise that we often put them off until we’re totally desperate. Well, it doesn’t have to be this way at all! Here are a few steps you can take to demystify the computer purchasing process.

1. Consider the purpose of the computer; in fact this maybe the most important consideration of all. If all you need is a computer with an up-to-date operating system for your, say, your receptionist to coordinate calendars and write the occasional memo, a run-of-the-mill desktop model should be totally fine. However, if you have a ‘power user’ who travels frequently then you really do need to splurge on the high-end, high-octane laptop.

2. Consider the ‘native’ warranty … If it is a 12 month warranty then it is likely you are purchasing a ‘entry level’ unit or consumer grade unit where as if the ‘native’ warranty is 3 years and includes on site then you are into a more aligned business grade unit. Unfortunately, all desktops and laptops will fail, at some point, and if this is within the warranty period significant savings could be had.

3. Get the Professional Edition of the operating system. If you’re getting a computer with Windows installed, go for the professional version. It’s not a lot more than the home edition and it will spare you the hassle that comes with the home edition’s limitations. This applies equally to the professional editions of such applications as Microsoft Office, the professional versions offer more flexibility and a wider range of functionality.

4. Don’t go shopping at an everything-under-the-sun retailer. The staff in these stores, however well intentioned or trained, cannot generally be relied upon to have a lot of specialised knowledge about computers. There are a lot of other choices out there that offer greater value and better service, for example, Computer Solutions Sales and Service

We can help you through every step of the purchasing process – from formulating requirements to setup. We’re experts on desktops, laptops, workstations, servers, and networking equipment and are able to offer range of solutions from brand names to ‘white box’ names.

Purchasing a new computer doesn’t have to be scary or stressful. You just have to know what you’re looking for – and we can help you figure that out.”

The cloud computing war heated up when Microsoft announced that Office 2010 would come with free Internet-based versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. You don’t have to purchase the Office 2010 suite in order to use them. However, unlike Google Apps, which are also free, Microsoft’s cloud-based programs aren’t really intended to be a replacement for the word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation programs that live on your computer. Rather, they’re best thought of as an add-on that will enable better collaboration and mobile access.

Both Google and Microsoft offer paid versions of their cloud services, each offering more features over the free versions. Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Standard Suite is available for around NZ$10 per user per month. Google Apps costs US$50 per user per year – quite a bit less, but already Google has lost one significant customer to Microsoft after complaints about lack of functionality and poor customer service.

While these battles continue in the world of the large corporate, you might wonder what this means you and others in the small business world. If you’re like most small business owners, you’re more concerned about preserving the value of the technology you’ve already invested in rather than throwing your whole technology architecture out the window in favour of the latest and greatest. So chances are you’re not quite ready to put your whole business in the cloud.

And as long as there are security concerns around the cloud – including how your data gets from your location into the cloud and back, where the data actually lives, and how you control who accesses it – many businesses will continue to opt for old-fashioned, offline local control.

That said, there will be times when a cloud solution just makes sense. If you’ve got multiple team members collaborating on a single document, do you really want to bother with multiple copies on multiple hard drives, going through multiple revisions, passed around through endless chains of email? Or do you want everybody to be able to work on a single document in a single place at the same time?

Over time, your business will likely evolve into a hybrid application architecture that includes in-house applications (the programs that are on your hard drive or that you access through an in-house server), hosted applications (for example, Web hosting or hosted Exchange email), and cloud technology. In the end what you want is something that minimizes costs, increases productivity, and doesn’t have you tearing your hair out over how to manage it. Low-cost, collaboration-friendly cloud applications will play an important role in making that vision a reality.

Computer Solutions can help you work through the various options that would best suit your immediate and future needs.