BizTech

EQUIPMENT UPGRADES
You don’t have to know everything about the latest equipment to make wise technology purchases. You just have to know how to ask the right questions of the right people.

By Jeffery D. Zbar

The workhorse printer at the law firm of Ali & Associates was stretched to its limit. Between court filings and other 1,000-page documents, the device couldn’t keep up. Staffers found themselves running down to the local Kinko’s to ease the strain during peak periods.
Try as they might, output couldn’t match the immigration law firm’s growing needs. And the production they were requiring was burning through ink at a fast clip.
Convinced they needed new printers, office manager Laedys Ali didn’t head to the local supply superstore to buy the latest or most deeply discounted machine. Instead, she called her ink supplier.
“We were using one HP machine, but it was too much work,” says Ali, who makes technology purchases for the nine-person firm in West Palm Beach. “The printer was holding us up and costing us too much. We needed a better solution.”
Buying the right technology for a small business can be challenging. Without on-site IT staff, owners or managers are left to consider various solutions. Growing businesses like Ali & Associates often outgrow their current technology. But rather than relying on retail sales associates to guide them in their technology purchases, smart business managers turn to specialists for advice.
Ali called Bob Bloom, owner of Ink & Toner USA for advice. He came to their office, surveyed their current line-up of printers and made his suggestion: Buy dedicated copiers instead of a multifunction printer (MFP). The reason: It’s more cost-effective on the toner than using the MFP. He also recommended they only buy “jumbo” ink or toner cartridges when available. The savings significantly reduces the cost per printed page.
Bloom jokes that decreasing his customer’s ink consumption may not be in his best interest financially, but it does improve their bottom line.
“Most people don’t ask because they don’t have anyone to ask. They don’t think there’s anyone there to help them,” says Bloom, who often fields calls from customers walking the aisles of office supply retailers as they’re considering a printer purchase. Bloom’s general recommendation: Find three machines that meet your needs for price, space and functionality, then tell the model numbers to an ink and toner reseller. Bloom won’t recommend brands. But he has a good idea which machines and cartridges perform best.
Planning technology purchases didn’t stop there for Ali. When the firm opened a new office last spring, she called her computer consultant, Alvaro Perez with PC Doctor, also in Palm Beach County. He recommended a new PC, set up the network, and suggested the firm go to 15-inch flat-panel monitors for all nine workstations. Energy consumption and the heat borne from traditional CRT monitors would drop, power efficiency would grow and the workers would enjoy more desk space.
Ready to buy new technology—either to replace old devices or accommodate more staff? Professionals suggest you take into account these considerations:
• What new features are available that improve the current device’s performance, output or functionality? Do costs balance with your needs?
• How has your business grown and its needs evolved? Will the new machine’s output and “duty life”—the number of pages it can reasonably be expected to print during its lifetime—meet your needs?
• How heavy will your usage be? People who infrequently use their devices may suffer ink drying on the printer head—and ruining the machine.
• What are the ongoing costs related to the technology—especially regarding printers, fax machines, copiers, multifunction and other output devices, as well as general office technology? Replacing some machine’s parts—like rollers or other internal components—can cost more than a new machine. A rule of thumb: If repair is less than half the price of a new machine, consider a repair. More? Consider a new machine.
Before making any purchase, search for answers, says Juan Soto, senior project manager with IT Impact, Inc., a technology consulting firm in Chicago. Scour the Internet, user groups and websites, and ask friends, associates or your professional trade association about hardware and software solutions that would meet your business’s needs. Then bring in a consultant to confirm your findings, he says.
“Do your research online, familiarize yourself with the solutions, and find out what other people think of the technology you’re considering,” Soto says. “When evaluating new technology, you can’t afford to experiment and test the latest gadget. Invest where it will improve output and help employees do their jobs.”