When the leaves start to change color, we usually take a little time to clean up around the house. Nothing too strenuous. We want to make the home presentable for the holidays. This past weekend, I pulled out our electric power washer to wash away some dirt and cobwebs. Even though it’s one of the less expensive, consumer-grade products, it’s held up fine for the past couple of years. So I plugged it up, got the water connected, and started cleaning.
That’s when I noticed the smell of burning plastic.
No matter the job, the quality of the tool makes a difference. An inexpensive tool offers upfront savings that can be very attractive. But will the tool do the job? Will you get the desired result? Or will you waste time trying to force something that just ain’t going to happen?
Service professionals and tradespeople know that high-quality tools lead to high-quality workmanship. Their livelihood depends on it. They also know one other thing. Consumer-grade products are generally not suitable when a professional reputation is at stake.
Like everyone else, computer manufacturers offer consumer-grade and professional-grade models. I could go through a laundry list of the technical differences. In reality, the choice comes down to two items – hardware durability and operating system.
Business-class computers generally come with a 3-year hardware warranty. Consumer-grade computers typically only have a 1-year warranty. While hardware quality has dramatically improved across the board over the last 10+ years, you should expect to have fewer hardware problems and a longer lifespan from a business class machine.
With regards to operating systems, business computers come loaded with Windows 10 Professional. Windows 10 Professional possesses two features that are not available in Windows 10 Home. These features are required to ensure the security of an organization’s data.
BitLocker is a data encryption app that ensures that all data on their hard drive is “encrypted at rest.” This protects your organization when a laptop is lost or stolen. With BitLocker enabled, the contents of your hard drive remain unreadable, even if the hard drive is removed and examined in a sophisticated manner.
Windows 10 Professional allows the computer to connect to a centralized management platform. This management platform controls who can log into the computer and what functions are available to the user. This capability is primarily for the IT professionals managing your systems. Without it, they cannot keep your data safe and secure.
If you are a small to medium-sized organization and want to ensure you are using professional-grade technology, we recommend engaging a technology consultant. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact CMA Technology at 706-860-1997. We will be happy to review your current environment and make sure your business technology operates in the green!
