I have a challenge for you. I challenge you to start a company without using technology. Preferably something larger then street corner lemonade stand—but you get the idea. Computers, servers, a good internet connection, the “telecommunications industry” dominates every aspect. Writing from a laptop with a second monitor, listening to an ipod playing music which I discovered after it was advertised to me online, paid for online, and transferred to my computer from the internet, all in a paperless office, I feel pretty confident that I can say that technology is the lifeblood of all modern business. Now, how do you get a hold of your hardware for cheaper?
If you are looking to take something large scale, be it a tech-central start up or simply another type of company with a computer hookup (for advertising, record keeping, communication, orders, etc…) you need to take a look at large scale technology refurbishing and reselling operations like Chicago Tech. This company offers high quality technology, used, so that you can get off the ground and running as cheaply as possible. Say you are specifically looking for a used Genband server capable of hosting a medium or large corporate infrastructure. CT has search functions for part numbers, spanning thousands of nuts and bolts, descriptions if you can not go so specific, make and model, or specific product. Your Genband server? Oh yeah, they have it and they have every component necessary to fix it or make another from scratch, all available online 24/7 with warranties and professional testing and certifications to back everything up.
If you need PCs, either laptops or desktops, for your offices, CT has you covered with IBM, Nobilis, Dell, Compaq, Toshiba, and IBM models. They even have ruggedized computers (military grade) which can be built to spec to suit your particular situation. If you are setting up a call center they also have routers, switchers, and software to get you up and running with a full infrastructure, and support for the whole job. As a bonus, Chicago Tech can also provide data backup services to small or medium scale businesses, putting your valuable information with a company that you are familiar with and can trust (as they will do their utmost to ensure that they don’t lose your patronage for the future).
Or say you are looking to better monitor your online presence or internal servers against hacking or unauthorized data assess. Dantel, industry leaders in alarm monitoring and control, should be a natural choice whether for hardware or software. But price is always a factor, so consider a used Dantel set up, with pricing available over the phone or through online chat on CT’s website. And, of course, pieces parts are available and they can find what they don’t have on the shelf (and probably find it more easily and more quickly than someone from outside the industry). Plus you get the quality and the product protection that comes with any CT service.
CT also has live chat available, in case you are looking to solve a problem before you know what pieces and parts you’re going to need. And these chat people are experts with all manner of large and small scale technology and telecom arrangement. CT is about empowering your business, taking care of the “complexity of managing technology” as they put it. They have the hardware (and can certainly get it if they don’t) for whatever you’re up against, and they can set up and even manage and sustain solutions long term for whatever you need, including financial services, professional services, remarketing solutions, procurement strategies, large scale tech support, and telecom asset management. With these professionals at your back, cost will head down and efficiency will head, way, way up.
While it is possible to find high end equipment without consulting a service like this, there are distinct downsides. For one, if you are looking for used Kentrox tech or the like on a site like Amazon or eBay (or much more craigslist) you may find that there is very little protection against defective or damaged equipment. While buyer protection safety nets do exist, it doesn’t always mesh well with the “used” category of equipment –and when that happens you go back to a ‘what you see is what you get’ system, except that you didn’t actually get to see it before the sale went through. Which is a bad joke to have played on you.
Buying directly from the manufacturer ensures high quality (and that new high technology smell) but you pay for it and then some. And, while you are protected by warranties and tech support, the coverage isn’t necessarily any better than what you would experience going with a service like Chicago Tech.