How do you identify a good IT rental vendor? Someone whom you can count on to be a part of your team. Someone who is there beyond the price element – a vendor who will understand and address your need.

The factor differentiating a good company from a average one.

• 1 of 7 – The orientation
• 2 of 7 – List of clients or Client Profile
• 3 of 7 – Customer Retention Ratio
• 4 of 7 – Customer references or testimonials
• 5 of 7 – Look for a full service provider
• 6 of 7 – Extensive Geographical reach
• 7 of 7 – Service and Support

Are you clear about why you want to buy an Apple I-pad?

Question no 2:

Will it do what you want it to do?

There are many videos and write ups available on the internet which will help you answer this question.

Question no 3:

Assuming that it does what you need it to do,  is it worth the price for you?

Question no 4:

If you are still not sure, is the Apple I-Pad available with your rental vendor?

If so, then rent it, try it out and then buy!

All audio equipment are not alike.  The choice of equipment would depend upon the event that you need it for.

A rock show has a very different equipment requirement from a classical musical concert.  Equipment for both the above events is very different from the equipment required for seminars and trainings, which is different from the equipment required for a office party.

To expect you, as a customer, to be able to specify what equipment you exactly need would not be practical as it would not be possible for you to have that kind of specialised knowledge.

So what can be done to choose a audio/sound system for rental?

You have no choice but to depend completely on the equipment given by your supplier.

You should explain the event to him in detail and make him/her  aware of your expectation regarding the sound quality that you require for the event.

If he is a good supplier, then he will deliver as per your expections.  If not, then we suggest you read our earlier post titled ” Key indicators of a credible IT equipment rental provider“

Here are some advantages of leasing equipment:

Cash Impact
• There is no cash outlay which frees up cash for other operating expenses
• It is like an additional line of credit or extra working capital for the business
• The equipment is financed at a fixed rate for the term of the lease (i.e. the monthly payments will not change)

Accounting Impact
• Simplified accounting procedures via monthly invoices
• Lease payments fit within your operating budget, eliminating the need for capital expenditure approval
• There is less paperwork required for funding approval and personal guarantees are not required
• Leases are a form of off-balance sheet funding, without affecting your ability to borrow
• Leasing improves the return on investment & return on assets financial ratios

Technology Ownership
• You are not investing funds in rapidly changing and depreciating technology
• You are paying for the equipment as you use it
• By removing the hassle and cost of ownership, leasing allows you to focus on your core business
• Leasing is a hedge against inflation – you can have leading edge technology of today and pay for it with tomorrow’s dollars
• Avoid technology obsolescence and manage the technology platform lifecycle
• There are no maintenance responsibilities that come with ownership of equipment
• The hassles of selling used office equipment are eliminated

Tax Effective
• Payments for lease is normally tax deductible. ( please check with your local tax authorities)

Servers – from low end to mid/high end.

Workstations – from low end to mid/high end.

Notebooks – Netbooks to Notebooks & MacBooks- all

Desktops -  PC, Mac, AMD

Printers – Laser / Inkjet/ MFD / Network / Line / Color laser

Copiers -  Entry level to mid level

Scanners – Entry level to mid level ( AFD/Duplex)

Projectors – 1500 ansi lumens to 5000 ansi lumens

Sound/PA  systems – for about 25 people to 1000 people.

Plasma/ LCD  TV – 32 ” , 42″

Budget constraints – the capital may not always be available for the IT equipment you need, and the purchasing procedures may be lengthy or difficult. Renting is easier, quicker and unlike capital expenditure, items can all be set off against tax.

Taxation benefits – renting costs can be shown directly as expenses and reduced from profit for taxation, Rental equipment is off the balance sheet.

Cash flow efficiency – No need to invest upfront. Rental payments are comparatively smaller and spread as fractional payments over longer periods. This frees your money which could be used for investments in other areas.

Flexibility & Cost saving – Renting allows a flexible approach and allows you to plan your needs at a fraction of the cost you would spend otherwise.

Short Term Needs:

•Short term project requirements, to cover software development or to manage workload peaks

•Seasonal fluctuations, including year-end audits, for use by temporary staff, or to avoid costly downtime during relocation or maintenance work.

Trainings/ Seminars/Conference requirements.

Training needs – renting is the flexible option when dealing with fluctuating course numbers or different training venues.

Specific events, including presentations, exhibitions, or foreign trips.

Seminars, Meetings, Training, Presentations, Exhibitions – Multiple machine and projection equipment requirements.

Travelling executives – laptop computers and portable printers requirements.

Testing

Testing, for example, new software or hardware, or to “Try Before You Buy”. Test-driving a new product is the only way to be sure you’re making the right decision before making the commitment to purchase.

Obsolescence
Renting is the best way to use IT.  Obsolescence makes purchasing IT a costly proposition most of the times.
Beat the threat of obsolescence . Make obsolescence obsolete .

Outsouce your headaches / increase efficiency by concentrating on your core activity.
No maintenance worries – Rentals rates include on site maintenance.
Rapid Delivery – Normally rental equipment is delivered very fast.

IT & AV Rentals/ Hire makes sense these days and has many benefits over purchase.

IT rentals/ hire  is as easy as renting a car, but with more comprehensive and sophisticated support services. IT rentals/ hire offers immediate availability of the right systems, when you want them, where you want them and for as long as you need them.

Whether you require a bespoke network, a large server or just a few extra PCs or Notebooks, IT rentals/hire  is a real and cost effective way to meet your short-term needs without compromise.

IT rentals/hire  offers immediate access to the most powerful computing equipment available. You don”t need to buy – you simply pay as you use it.

Using old or discontinued systems will compromise your business” performance. IT rentals/hire  is a no compromise solution, regardless of how short term your requirement is.

IT rentals / hire offer immediate access to the most powerful computer equipment without the need to buy.

IT Rentals / hire  is the logical and cost-effective choice for all your short-term requirements including; training, events, exhibitions, seasonal business expansion, new system trials and testing for compatibility.

Most users/ companies use their Computers  for regular tasks like Internet, MS Office and maybe a couple of softwares in their offices for regular use.

In such a scenario, the best option would be to go for a P4 or a Dual Core.

a.  It will perform all the tasks mentioned above, without any noticeable difference in performance as compared to a Core2Duo.

We have supplied P4 computers even in environments like  SAP and Orace and  the customers have been more than  happy with the performance.

b. It saves the company / user money on the rental as well as it is a green choice – the more we can use older equipment, the better.

c.  Since the equipment is being rented and not bought, the user can have a short term perspective.  In the short term perspective, it is better to have just enough computing power to perform the required tasks satisfactorily.  If you use higher computing power than necessary, then you are paying for something which you are not going to use.

The only case where one would recommend using a computer with  a Core2Duo Processor ( or higher)  is where your application absolutely demands it, like graphic based applications like CAD, Animation etc, heavy database intensive work etc.

Well as some answers go, the answer is simple but not straight!

It depends on your application.  By the word ‘application’, it do not mean the kind of software that one wants to use.  It refers to what one wants to use the computer for.

1) If  rental price  is not a factor, then the choice is clear – take a laptop.  It is smaller, needs much less space  and can be carried if needed.

2) If rental price is a factor, then the following other elements come into play:

a)  If rental price is a very critical factor, then the desktop is the right   choice.  It is the cheapest option available and will do what you need it to do.

b)  If you want to use if for a graphic intensive application like animation,  CAD or games, then a desktop may be the only choice, depending on  the video card your ‘computer application’ requires.  The desktop can  be fitted with the video card your ‘computer application’ required and  the RAM can also be  added as necessary.

Most laptops which computer rental companies carry are basic   laptops which do not have dedicated or high end graphic cards. Hence  they may not run your application or may run it slower than the  desktops. Also normally, laptops have a provision for memory  upgrades but typically more memory can be added to desktops than  laptops.

c)  If you need to hire computers for a seminar or training purposes  then the  tradeoff is between

(i)  the image /look/feel that the laptops provide in a   training/seminar  environment vs. the looks that desktops  provide. Is it worth for you   to spend a little more on  laptops to get the feel/environment which laptops provide?

(ii)    If it is a large event, desktops consume more space than  laptops and   a bigger venue may be required which could   cost more.  Hence the  cost for a bigger venue has to be  weighed with the increased cost of   laptops over  desktops.

(iii) Wires or no wires?

If you are having a training or seminar in a venue outside  your  office premises, then if you have to network your computers, the  option is to do it with wires or do it wirelessly.

Normally the laptops come with Wi-fi and the desktops   don’t.  So it  makes more sense to hire laptops and connect   it wirelessly.  It is quick and looks much neater without   the wires showing.

Do I need to buy the laptop which I need to write my thesis or should I rent/hire it?

Do I need to buy a server for my internal testing use or do I need to rent/hire  one?

Is it worth to rent/hire  a CISCO router or to buy one?

IT & AV Rental makes sense these days and has many benefits over purchase.

IT rental is as easy as renting a car, but with more comprehensive and sophisticated support services.

IT rental offers immediate availability of the right systems, when you want them, where you want them and for as long as you need them.

Whether you require a instant network, a large server or just a few extra PCs or Notebooks, IT rental is a real and cost effective way to meet your short-term needs without compromise.

IT rental offers immediate access to the most powerful computing equipment available. You don”t need to buy – you simply pay as you use it.

Using old or discontinued systems will compromise your business” performance. IT rental is a no compromise solution, regardless of how short term your requirement is.

IT rentals  offer immediate access to the most powerful computer equipment without the need to buy.

IT rentals is the logical and cost-effective choice for all your short-term requirements including; training, events, exhibitions, seasonal business expansion, new system trials and testing for compatibility.