Computer rental options that keep your business on top of trends

As businesses grow, their needs can change. One year a multi-function printer/fax is sufficient, the next you may need a standalone printer, photocopier and wireless network, so keeping up to date with a computer rental may save you time and money.

Cash flow is king

"Computer rental is about cash flow improvement," says Louie Papas, computer hardware specialist at Officeworks. "You don't have that big investment going out at one time."

"But computer rental also enables you to keep up with the latest technology. You're not looking at a significant investment every time you need to upgrade your equipment." 

Afford more

If equipment costs less, logically you can afford more of it. 

A growing business may need a network printer for each department, rather than one for the entire organisation. Instead of borrowing money or waiting for the financial stars to align, renting additional printers puts them in the office immediately. 

Further, renting leaves cash free and lines of credit open for other business expenses.

Project specific

Take the example of an architecture firm contracted to produce the working drawings for a new office building, with additional staff employed casually to help meet the tight deadline.

Buying new desktop computers and software for each new staff member, who is only to be employed for three months, would cost thousands of dollars. Renting the equipment:

• protects the business from a short-term cost shock
• prevents a surplus of computing equipment sitting unused once the project is finished
• means short-term, fixed-price equipment supply can be factored into project costs
• means tax deductions for rental fees.

Servicing and maintenance

To avoid downtime as a result of faulty technology, Officeworks offers 'Dr PC', a computer maintenance and troubleshooting service for both rented and purchased equipment.

"You can subscribe to a maintenance level for a monthly supply of phone support, right up to getting a technician into your business by the hour to sort out any problems you encounter," Louie says.

"Dr PC can help businesses from a small home office to setting up a full network for 20 or 30 users."

What can you lease?

Short answer - practically anything you need.

"We arrange business rental for all the technology lines," says Louie. "Anything from mobile phones to printers, software and so on."

When you know what you want to lease, you then need to establish the length of the lease. The Officeworks RentSmart service, for example, offers two, three or four years. 

Rent to save

In the rapidly evolving world of business, reacting swiftly to change can be the key to boosting income or going broke. While buying your office technology gives you certainty and builds your asset base, there are times when computer rental may be a smarter move.

Phone a computer retailer today to find out how renting the latest computer rental equipment can benefit your business.