From trying to promote your brand and securing sales to managing administrative and legislative issues, it’s absolutely essential to have the right IT equipment in place to enable you to carry out everyday tasks and manage your business either from the office or at home. But no one said it had to be brand new equipment. Here’s the case for investing in refurbished IT systems when starting up, as explained by Bill Champness, MD at Hardware Associates. According to Champness, choosing refurbished equipment isn’t just about making great savings but also about providing you access to better, more productive technology to help you make your mark.

Before you make any commitments on orders for your technology choices, read why investing in refurbished computer systems could be the best option for you and your enterprise.

Access to better tech

As a start-up, it’s imperative to have the tools you need to be productive and at the forefront of your industry, to be a step ahead of the competition. As launching your business and sustaining your workflow may involve long hours and many meetings, benefits such as long battery life, fast processors and large memory are essential.

When you choose repaired IT systems, you can have access to the latest, top of the range models for up to 80 per cent less than if you bought them brand new. This means that it pays to buy refurbished as you get better technology for your money. If you were to spend the equivalent amount on a brand new machine, it is likely it would be a more basic mode, cheaply made, with a low to medium performance.

Security for less

Generally, the more out of date your computer is, the less secure and more vulnerable to attacks, including viruses and hacking, it is. If you store client information or company financial details on your PC, it needs to be safe and secure to protect your startup and those you work with, including customers.

Upgrading can be costly, but not overly so with refurbished machines. A computer can be upgraded to have a better motherboard, processor and more memory to run the most up to date security software – without breaking the bank.

For start-ups, saving money makes success more viable as it can be used on other aspects of your business, such as marketing and HR.

Green IT

When a business is new, potential clients will often look for reasons to switch from current providers and trust a new business. This is shaped by reviews, price points and also matters of responsibility and ethics.

Being environmentally friendly and ‘green’ is fantastic for a company’s public image and can be a selling point if you’re up for a pitch against a company with no track record in this area. Choosing refurbished IT is a form of recycling and reduces business waste, which is a good environmental standpoint to get behind.

In turn, when your computer or laptop needs to be replaced, perhaps in a couple of years, it can also be refurbished or recycled for parts and the positive cycle continues.

So, remember, if you’re looking to go it alone in the New Year using refurbished equipment is not only an excellent way of keeping costs down, enables you to have higher spec computers than perhaps your budget allows but is also a great way of keeping your new business secure and green.