Deciding what technology to buy can be one of the trickiest decisions small businesses face. There’s seemingly endless choice, a dizzying amount of information, and high stakes – reliable, effective tech can be the difference between success and failure.
So what do entrepreneurs need to look for in the technology they use? We spoke to a range of small business owners and freelancers to find out – and, working with experts at Dell, matched them with the business laptop that would be perfect for them.
Getting a move on: the hot-desker
Running his legal marketing agency TBD Marketing keeps Simon Marshall constantly on the go. Having a team and client base that’s spread across the UK means he works from his home office, the company office in Bristol, on the train, or in the offices of clients.
“I’ve sat at my desk three times in the last three months,” says Marshall, emphasising that making the effort to meet people face-to-face is worth it. “The level of influence you get by going in, sitting with someone, and coaching them on something is tremendous. It makes a huge difference. It gives them permission to tell you what’s on their mind, or what they’re struggling with.”
This means he spends several hours of each week working on trains, making the time as productive as possible by sitting in quiet first-class carriages and using privacy screens. “I’m usually on the road on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and I won’t drive – partly because it’s greener, but also because the productivity gains are huge.”
Working on-the-go and setting up quickly once he arrives at clients’ offices means Marshall needs technology that is reliable, powerful, and fast. “I want [my laptop] to perform when I open it, and be working within two seconds,” he says. “If I turn up to give a presentation, I don’t want to be messing around with cables or wondering if it’s going to connect to this or that system. If I’m doing training, for example, I need to be on their screen within 10 to 15 seconds and I need it to just work.”
Laptop match: Dell Latitude
The Latitude notebooks, built with the Intel vPro platform, are designed to help you work with speed and security. Made for collaboration, these laptops help you mind your business – and others theirs: they have onlooker detection to keep your screen private, ExpressSign-in that locks the screen when you step away and wakes it when you return, and fingerprint readers for security. AI-powered performance optimisation with the latest Intel Core processors and intelligent noise cancellation, haptic touchpad with meeting-related icons, and sleek design, make it perfect for a busy life on the go.
Big-picture thinking: the graphic designer
Resource-intensive work such as graphic design means high performance is critical. Alison Fisher is a freelance designer and art director at fashion industry magazine Drapers, whose work involves designing everything from logos to magazine layouts to marketing material and illustrations.
She says power and clarity are critical for her day-to-day work. Being able to see the detail in images and videos is particularly important. “I need a really high definition screen, because I’ll need to look at colours accurately, and fonts need to be sharp.”
The software that designers typically use tends to ask more of their devices than those of us using our laptops predominantly for internet browsing and emails. “We need a lot of memory because we’re using really powerful programs,” Fisher says. “We generally need them all open at the same time as well. The After Effects software needs a lot of memory for video and motion graphics. Then there’s Photoshop, all the retouching. That’s vital for designers.”
Finally, plenty of storage is critical too, so that large images and videos can be worked on and saved with ease.
Laptop match: Dell XPS
Dell’s XPS range of laptops, verified as Intel Evo, are perfectly suited to video, photography, music and content production, and multitasking between intensive programs. From the thin and light XPS 13 through to the powerful XPS 17 – with a 17-inch anti-reflection studio-quality display and high-end Intel Core processors – these laptops are perfect for demanding users – such as creators – on the go.
Jet, set, go: the international traveller
One of the benefits of the hybrid working era is the ability to work from not just the home, but anywhere – something Ruth Jones, founder of PR agency 3Thinkrs, has embraced to the full. Jones wanted her business, founded during the pandemic, to offer staff more flexibility and a better work-life balance than the traditional agency environment, with its long hours and an always-on culture that could lead to burnout.
“I felt there was something around the fact that you can be more productive, more creative, and protect your wellbeing if you can be wherever you want physically,” Jones says.
Using a collection of tools – including pop-up offices, a strong focus on communication, and the concept of “power hours”, whereby staff ensure they are devoting their most productive hours to the highest-priority work – the company allows the team to work anywhere. The money it saves from not having a permanent office has taken staff on weeks-long work trips to Amsterdam, Paris and Valencia. Jones has worked from 10 different cities for weeks at a time in recent years.
“You get your best ideas when you’re taking in a new environment or you’re in a new space,” she says. “It has enriched my life because the technology enables you to be wherever. I’ve worked in New York, Miami, Valencia, Milan and Paris, and it’s the same as if you were working at home or in London.”
When it comes to portable tech that supports the demands of being a digital nomad, Jones says memory and storage are critical. “It’s crucial for me to be able to process high volumes of data and work at speed, so the laptop [must have] the processing power for my job.”
Laptop match: Dell Vostro
Geared towards enhancing productivity for small businesses, Dell’s Vostro range of laptops are ideal for video conferencing and for working on financial, productivity and office suites, with enhanced security features and fast performance from the latest Intel Core processors. The light, compact design makes mobility easier too and they have a fast-charging battery.
Dell makes business technology work for you. Find out more here
