Author Topic: Computer for small business  (Read 2577 times)

clara_sophia

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Computer for small business
« on: July 30, 2018, 11:42:02 AM »
All, we have been planning a side business venture for a while and are finally launching it!  We are really excited and trying to do things in a smart and frugal way.

That said, my husband has a MacBook Pro but he wants something Windows based for our business.  We would need to keep track of inventory, do accounting and taxes, support our website, etc.  This is a web-based retail business.  We don't really have a budget but again don't want something too expensive, but we need at least enough capacity to run things and hopefully grow our customer base.

Any thoughts or suggestions?  Thanks for any advice you might have. 

mathlete

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Re: Computer for small business
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2018, 12:27:44 PM »
For the ultra cheap solution, you can install Windows on the MacBook.

Beyond that, I've had success with Dell in the past. Be wary of ultra cheap Windows PCs. Often times they subsidize the cost by installing a bunch of bloatware.

Lulee

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Re: Computer for small business
« Reply #2 on: July 30, 2018, 01:16:37 PM »
Whenever I get asked what computer to buy, I always reply "What are you going to do with it?"  In your instance, it would be more like "What software do you want to run on it to meet all your business needs?"  The software requirements plus a healthy extra dose of storage space on the hard drive as well as much memory as you can afford to add will keep you going for quite a while.

I'd be looking to see if there are web based solutions for your needs.  The caveat being you want to be sure you understand the offerings carefully so you're confident about their up-time and whose responsible for backing up data as well as how safe you think their systems are.  Those last two are important to have worked out (backups and security) whether you or someone else is providing the software/hardware that your business is running on.

jpdx

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Re: Computer for small business
« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2018, 01:18:50 PM »
Personally, I would also go for the Mac w/ Windows installed. If you are looking for a second computer, you can find deals on used/refurbished Macs on eBay, often with a 30-90 day warrantee.

MilesTeg

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Re: Computer for small business
« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2018, 02:20:40 PM »
You seem to be describing a business critical system. What that means is you need to ensure you have (as a start):

* reliable (with warranty) hardware/software
* ongoing technical support (unless you or you DH are highly capable and you plan it into your business)
* rigorous, tested backups. The IRS doesn't accept "the computer crashed so I can't report to you"

This means just slapping windows on your MBP is a bad idea. Sure, it would probably work. Until it doesn't. Then your business can't function, you lose money, and maybe go out of business and/or have legal issues.

I'm not saying to not be frugal, but realize "frugal" in this case means a lot different than "frugal" for a personal computer/device.

ketchup

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Re: Computer for small business
« Reply #5 on: July 30, 2018, 02:34:13 PM »
I'm an IT manager at a small business (~45 users) and we're pretty much entirely a Dell shop.  Optiplex 3050/3060 if desktop, Latitude 3590 if laptop.  Unless you need something specific or extra powerful, go with a current-gen i3, 8GB of RAM, and an SSD (larger is better but only you know what you need).  Should be around $700 for a decent system.

And yes, as MilesTeg said, back your stuff up.  Test your backups once a quarter.  Optiplex desktops come with three years of next-day-onsite-repair (literally they send a tech to your house) warranty if something breaks.  Plan on it lasting about five years (longer if you recycle it for personal use, but I wouldn't necessarily want something that old as the only computer running a business).

Dell Outlet can get you a good deal on a factory refurb, and they come with the same warranty as new.  I've never had issues with them.

robartsd

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Re: Computer for small business
« Reply #6 on: July 30, 2018, 03:11:40 PM »
You seem to be describing a business critical system. What that means is you need to ensure you have (as a start):

* reliable (with warranty) hardware/software
* ongoing technical support (unless you or you DH are highly capable and you plan it into your business)
* rigorous, tested backups. The IRS doesn't accept "the computer crashed so I can't report to you"

This means just slapping windows on your MBP is a bad idea. Sure, it would probably work. Until it doesn't. Then your business can't function, you lose money, and maybe go out of business and/or have legal issues.

I'm not saying to not be frugal, but realize "frugal" in this case means a lot different than "frugal" for a personal computer/device.
I fully agree about the backups. How important warranty and support are for this computer would depend on your technical skills. It's not like the business stops if the computer is down. I don't see why the stated needs can't be done on OS X but Macs aren't cheap either.  As @Lulee suggests, the things that you need the computer for can probably be handled "in the cloud". One great thing about cloud computing is that you just need any computer with a reasonably up-to-date web browser.

MilesTeg

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Re: Computer for small business
« Reply #7 on: July 30, 2018, 03:33:10 PM »
You seem to be describing a business critical system. What that means is you need to ensure you have (as a start):

* reliable (with warranty) hardware/software
* ongoing technical support (unless you or you DH are highly capable and you plan it into your business)
* rigorous, tested backups. The IRS doesn't accept "the computer crashed so I can't report to you"

This means just slapping windows on your MBP is a bad idea. Sure, it would probably work. Until it doesn't. Then your business can't function, you lose money, and maybe go out of business and/or have legal issues.

I'm not saying to not be frugal, but realize "frugal" in this case means a lot different than "frugal" for a personal computer/device.
I fully agree about the backups. How important warranty and support are for this computer would depend on your technical skills. It's not like the business stops if the computer is down. I don't see why the stated needs can't be done on OS X but Macs aren't cheap either.  As @Lulee suggests, the things that you need the computer for can probably be handled "in the cloud". One great thing about cloud computing is that you just need any computer with a reasonably up-to-date web browser.

"In the cloud" is a fancy way of saying "my important stuff is on someone else's computer who may or may not allow me to have access or do the things they are saying they do". At a minimum, if you want to do your business "in the cloud" you would need a business account with a contract that includes SLAs/etc. Normal/Non-business accounts can be terminated for any reason at any time and POOF! all your stuff is gone and you have absolutely no recourse.

FiftyIsTheNewTwenty

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Re: Computer for small business
« Reply #8 on: July 30, 2018, 05:29:19 PM »
The Dell Outlet is a good source, also the Lenovo Outlet.  I'm a Thinkpad user and fan, and while others have been catching up I still think they're the best.

I'm typing this from a Thinkpad 13 I got for just under $400 a few months ago.  It's a Core 3 with 8GB and a 128GB flash drive, Windows 10 Pro.  It's about equivalent to a Macbook Air 13, a bit thicker and not as sleek, but a better keyboard and screen.

I regularly see the top of the line T Series (the one you want) for half price or less.

Keep checking for deals as they change every day!  Sometimes really cheap pops up among the usual.  Mine, for example, was $1-200 less that the usual outlet price at the time, and $3-400 cheaper than full price.

They have desktops too.

BTW, you don't need Windows 10 Pro.  These days the Pro version just has extra tools for managing fleets of computers -- nothing you need for just one, or a few.

Daley

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Re: Computer for small business
« Reply #9 on: July 30, 2018, 06:36:13 PM »
I'm an IT manager at a small business (~45 users) and we're pretty much entirely a Dell shop.  Optiplex 3050/3060 if desktop, Latitude 3590 if laptop.  Unless you need something specific or extra powerful, go with a current-gen i3, 8GB of RAM, and an SSD (larger is better but only you know what you need).  Should be around $700 for a decent system.

And yes, as MilesTeg said, back your stuff up.  Test your backups once a quarter.  Optiplex desktops come with three years of next-day-onsite-repair (literally they send a tech to your house) warranty if something breaks.  Plan on it lasting about five years (longer if you recycle it for personal use, but I wouldn't necessarily want something that old as the only computer running a business).

Dell Outlet can get you a good deal on a factory refurb, and they come with the same warranty as new.  I've never had issues with them.

There are wise words from our industry: Nobody gets fired for recommending Dell. Or Cisco.

Sibley

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Re: Computer for small business
« Reply #10 on: July 31, 2018, 11:20:30 AM »
I'm an IT manager at a small business (~45 users) and we're pretty much entirely a Dell shop.  Optiplex 3050/3060 if desktop, Latitude 3590 if laptop.  Unless you need something specific or extra powerful, go with a current-gen i3, 8GB of RAM, and an SSD (larger is better but only you know what you need).  Should be around $700 for a decent system.

And yes, as MilesTeg said, back your stuff up.  Test your backups once a quarter.  Optiplex desktops come with three years of next-day-onsite-repair (literally they send a tech to your house) warranty if something breaks.  Plan on it lasting about five years (longer if you recycle it for personal use, but I wouldn't necessarily want something that old as the only computer running a business).

Dell Outlet can get you a good deal on a factory refurb, and they come with the same warranty as new.  I've never had issues with them.

There are wise words from our industry: Nobody gets fired for recommending Dell. Or Cisco.

Well, hopefully that means that the IT guys will be able to resolve my laptop issues pretty easily. Since it blue screens when I take it off the dock, and I need to do that regularly.

clara_sophia

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Re: Computer for small business
« Reply #11 on: July 31, 2018, 01:06:24 PM »
These are all really helpful comments!  Thanks for sharing your knowledge. 

Travis

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Re: Computer for small business
« Reply #12 on: July 31, 2018, 05:32:30 PM »
All, we have been planning a side business venture for a while and are finally launching it!  We are really excited and trying to do things in a smart and frugal way.

That said, my husband has a MacBook Pro but he wants something Windows based for our business.  We would need to keep track of inventory, do accounting and taxes, support our website, etc.  This is a web-based retail business.  We don't really have a budget but again don't want something too expensive, but we need at least enough capacity to run things and hopefully grow our customer base.

Any thoughts or suggestions?  Thanks for any advice you might have.

Your needs fall into more storage and data security concerns, but I bolded something that hasn't been brought up yet. Who is hosting your website? Are you doing it or is it contracted out?  If you're doing it yourself and hosting it at home, then we need to have a more in-depth conversation about hardware.  If you're paying someone else, then you want to make sure they're not low-balling security requirements and your site isn't crashing or unavailable.  For a computer that will do the basic administration for your business, your needs are simple and many manufacturers will fit that bill.  Make sure you're backing up your data in more than one place and it's all encrypted.

CoffeeR

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Re: Computer for small business
« Reply #13 on: August 12, 2018, 08:08:42 AM »
There are wise words from our industry: Nobody gets fired for recommending Dell. Or Cisco.
I guess then maybe I'm playing with fire because for servers I am moving away from Dell to SuperMicro based solutions. Still, when I needed a Windows PC for my parents I got a Dell Optiplex unit off of EBay and for another solution I got a used Dell Precision off of EBay because darn I do like ECC ram.

To the OP, I do not like Lenovo, but it is hard to recommend something without knowing the skill level of the OP. Years of experience tells me that putting Windows on a Mac either using Bootcamp or virtualization software requires some skill and always has some "gotchas" (unexpected issues). I would, in general, not recommend it even though personally I do this all the time.

In short, I would get a Dell with Windows preinstalled.

Just Joe

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Re: Computer for small business
« Reply #14 on: August 14, 2018, 03:05:31 PM »
Backups, backups, backups.

I would consider local backups in addition to whatever you have offsite. If you aren't familiar with them, read up on NAS storage. We have one at home - an old one now. We switch it on once a month, make backups of the family computers, and off-load cellphone pics/docs/whatever - and the next day switch it off again. Will prob last forever like this.

It carries a pair of 2TB drives. Each drive has a redundant copy of the other. If one drive fails then swap it with a new drive and the NAS will generally copy over your files so everything is redundant again.

I noticed this morn that 10TB hard drives are now available for $325 each. I doubt my old NAS would do well with drives that big (perhaps a standard has changed) but a modern NAS wouldn't stumble.

Other thing: your OS. I've spent many hours over the years cleaning other people's Windows machines. A bug got in or an update crashed it. Consider Linux for your OS. In 20 years I've never seen a virus on a Linux machine. Its possible but very unlikely. Also, there are antivirus programs for Linux - free and paid for.

Back to your computer needs: find an off-lease computer. Wipe the hard drive and start over with fresh software so you haven't bought something with a software backdoor installed in it. You're buying office professional grade equipment which always beats discount store hardware. When your business takes off, buy something newer and "better" if the old equipment can't get the work done anymore.


robartsd

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Re: Computer for small business
« Reply #15 on: August 14, 2018, 05:23:10 PM »
I noticed this morn that 10TB hard drives are now available for $325 each. I doubt my old NAS would do well with drives that big (perhaps a standard has changed) but a modern NAS wouldn't stumble.
I didn't realize HD capacity had progressed so much - last time I shopped hard disks, 3TB was the best $/TB and capacity above 4TB was pretty pricey (I purchased WD Green 3TB).

Looking at NAS hard disks on Newegg now it looks like the best price per TB has moved to between 4TB (Toshiba N300 and Seagate IronWolf; but their prices on 6TB seem high compared to both larger and smaller drives in their lines) and 6TB (WD Red and HGST DeskStar). Capacities of 12TB are available, but there is a bit of a premium to get maximum capacity.

ketchup

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Re: Computer for small business
« Reply #16 on: August 15, 2018, 12:17:23 PM »
I noticed this morn that 10TB hard drives are now available for $325 each. I doubt my old NAS would do well with drives that big (perhaps a standard has changed) but a modern NAS wouldn't stumble.
I didn't realize HD capacity had progressed so much - last time I shopped hard disks, 3TB was the best $/TB and capacity above 4TB was pretty pricey (I purchased WD Green 3TB).

Looking at NAS hard disks on Newegg now it looks like the best price per TB has moved to between 4TB (Toshiba N300 and Seagate IronWolf; but their prices on 6TB seem high compared to both larger and smaller drives in their lines) and 6TB (WD Red and HGST DeskStar). Capacities of 12TB are available, but there is a bit of a premium to get maximum capacity.
Yes, drive sizes are getting quite silly.  I bought a 10TB and a 12TB last year, and 14TB drives look to be on the horizon now (already exist on the enterprise market, with pricing to match: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAB947CX3530 ).  Best value though right now is definitely in the 4TB~8TB range.  Absolute best deal these days though if you can find it is the WD 8TB Easystore when on sale for $149 (pretty frequently) at Best Buy.  It's an external drive, but it can be "shucked" for normal internal SATA use.