Should laptops be used by businesses that don't require mobility?

Question

I have gained the opinion that laptops are risky for businesses to use. I just had a client have his hard drive crash and it's going to cost $800 - $2400 to recover the data. Of course this can happen with a desktop,.....but, and here's the clincher for me, the desktop lends itself to more seamless backup/recovery solutions. Also, what if something other than the hard drive fails? Even warranty work takes a long time with laptops....so what do you use while the laptop is having "diagnostics" done? What are your thoughts?

Answer 1

Desktops are:
Cheaper.
More powerful.
Can use more standard components
Are easier to expand on.
Are easier to upgrade.

More reliable. (mainly due to them not being moved around.)


But as soon as you need to work at home. Take you computer to a customer. Show a presentation.

you need to have a laptop.

Answer 2

I've come across this problem in many of the networks that I manage and also my own experiences. From trial and error I too have seen the costly data recovery service charges and the downtime driven by data dependency. One practice I now deploy on an unbiased network is backup and data redundancy. In layman’s terms "C.Y.A." (Cover Your A) by backing up on a regular basis. For laptops you can setup a synchronization profile that will alow you to store your important data on a network drive. External hard drives are a blessing because you can gain massive amounts of storage for pennies on the Meg. For the best solution in backup and data recovery I use a combination of external storage plus internal storage with a Dell power edge 3200 and an IOMEGA Rev Drive.

As for downtime with the notebook having proprietary parts, that’s just the way it goes. Notebooks don't have as many interchangeable parts as desktop computers do and therefore they tend to be more costly when its time to replace parts. The best thing any company could ever do is lease computers on an 18month basis. (I.M.O.) That way you will be covered by T. Moore's law and you will have a service plan that should cover replacement parts.