Computer purchasing considerations for small business owners

Today's small businesses are looking to leverage the latest technology available to improve productivity and open new opportunities.

The nagging question facing a small business owner today is -- what fits my company's needs best, desktops, laptops or tablets?

Small business owners should be able to identify a need for desktop computers relatively easily. Any business environment in which employees work only from the office and need large amounts of storage should naturally gravitate toward desktops.

To decide between the mobile computers available, those making small business IT decisions should consider the daily needs of their staff. If an employee travels only occasionally and has large storage needs, a laptop should do the trick.

Those who travel often but still have a need for typing -- be it emails, reports or other documents -- might benefit from the convenience of a netbook's portability and full keyboard. Small business employees who travel equally or more frequently, but spend more computing time with applications that don't require much typing, could be better suited with a tablet.

The broad array of options available are helping today's small businesses operate much the same as their larger counterparts. Choosing the technology that best fits their employees' needs can help them succeed like them, too.