How to buy PCs for your enterprise

When it’s time to replace your users’ aging PCs — or maybe to rationalize your PC fleet after a series of acquisitions — the decision on what PCs to buy doesn’t start with the machines themselves. Instead, several other factors should lead to your eventual decision on which computers to provide your organization’s users.

Three PC makers dominate the market globally: Lenovo has maintained the No. 1 spot for years, with roughly 23% of sales, while HP and Dell Technologies essentially tie for second place with roughly 16% to 20% of sales each (their numbers tend to vary from quarter to quarter), according to IDC’s market data. Apple comes in fourth, but its percentage can vary strongly, usually between 8% and 14%. Asus and Acer typically tie for fifth place, with around 6% to 7% market share.

These figures include PCs sold to individuals and households; IDC and its competitors Gartner and Forrester Research do not track business computers’ market share separately. But analysts at IDC, Gartner, and Forrester agree that Lenovo, HP, and Dell have even larger percentages of the business market. And they’re available in practically every country and territory worldwide, whether directly or through resellers.

It’s no surprise, then, that for the vast majority of enterprises, the bulk of their PC fleet comes from one of these three vendors. But a fraction of their fleet may come from other vendors, something IT needs to strategize as well.

This article explores the multiple considerations IT should assess when choosing its PC fleet suppliers: buying direct vs. using resellers, technology factors in PC choices, user considerations and pressures, when and how to consider thin clients and non-Windows devices, financial and purchasing considerations, support factors, environmental considerations, and geographic factors. (For information about laptop styles, specifications, and components suited to different types of users, see “Buyer’s guide: How to choose the right business laptops.”)

Considerations in sourcing PCs: direct vs. reseller

The most important decision for IT is where to source the PCs from. The standard choices are directly from a PC…