[OPLINTECH] Hardware purchases

Wed Dec 19 08:36:10 EST 2012

To answer the original question, here is a list of my vendors:

Global Gov Ed (Tiger Direct corporate)
I buy small parts, printers, compare Tiger deals with Global for better pricing.
Jack Gephart
8663100116
Jack.Gephart at GlobalGovEd.com
GlobalGovEd.com

B2B a.k.a. IT Savvy
Scott was a long time Global rep and provides good pricing on systems. The web site is a bit complex and shows "sell" price not "buy" price. Once you ask for a quote the price is adjusted.
Scott Gibson
B2B Computer Products LLC
312-676-5237
312-676-5238 fax
teamohio at b2bcomp.com
http://www.itsavvy.com/

CDWG
Again good prices on systems and small discounts on Apple products. If you want 100 iPads tomorrow CDWG is the place to shop.
Jeff Jones   |   (866) 668-9487   |   jeffjon at cdw.com

MNJ
Good prices on systems. Kevin was the CDWG rep for many years.
Kevin Cowan
MNJ Technologies
Senior Account Executive
Toll Free: 800-870-4340 EXT 8338
Direct : 847-876-8838
Fax: 847-876-5638
AIM: Kcowan01
www.mnjtech.com

Systime
Offers "off lease" systems. Good for replacing older units. For example they currently have a Dell 745/monitor bundle. I buy laptops from them, because I'm not excited about circulating a $700 laptop, although the price delta between new and refurbished is getting tighter. Worth getting on their mailing list.
sales at systime.com
https://www.systime.com/

D & H
D&H is a nationwide wholesale dealer. It requires membership. If you're buying from a local system rebuilder or building a large number of systems yourself it's worth joining. You can also price check your local vendors. I use this mostly for Goodwill and for example the "buy" price for a wireless mouse is $4.50 and the suggested "sell" price is $10.
https://www.dandh.com/

Without engaging in an exercise in F.U.D.D (No one was ever fired for buying IBM), I tend to buy branded systems, look for extended warranties, and bundles as in a desktop with a monitor. I'm currently in a Dell cycle, but looking seriously at HP because of its one-piece touch screen option. Sorry, but I don't want to support 300 homemade systems.
I guess I'm not really a hardware geek, although I've been building systems for 25 years, and  my home computer is a homemade Fedora system running five operating systems.
I think that at the end of the day, for work, and with several hundred computers to support, I'm governed mostly by price.
In the Fall I look at next year's refresh cycle, try to get a feel for where systems are going, do some window shopping, set a price point (about $800 for a desktop with monitor) and do my budget.
After the first of the year I ask my vendors for best pricing on an $800 system.

HTH

Jim Mann
Technology Coordinator
Greene County Public Library
76 E. Market St
Xenia OH 45385
937 352 4000 x1210
Discover. Learn. Grow.<http://www.greenelibrary.info/>
jmann at gcpl.lib.oh.us<mailto:jmann at gcpl.lib.oh.us>
[cid:image001.jpg at 01CDDDBF.0E649FE0]<http://www.facebook.com/greenelibrary.info>[cid:image002.jpg at 01CDDDBF.0E649FE0]<http://twitter.com/#!/greenelibrary>[cid:image003.jpg at 01CDDDBF.0E649FE0]<http://www.youtube.com/greenelibrary>[cid:image004.jpg at 01CDDDBF.0E649FE0]<http://www.flickr.com/photos/greene-library>

From: oplintech-bounces at lists.oplin.org [mailto:oplintech-bounces at lists.oplin.org] On Behalf Of Kevin Puffer
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2012 2:37 PM
To: Joe
Cc: oplintech at lists.oplin.org
Subject: Re: [OPLINTECH] Hardware purchases

I stand duly corrected by Chad Neeper  (Level 9 Networks). I didn't intend a generality, but I confess I made one.

On Tue, Dec 18, 2012 at 2:08 PM, Joe <knuevejo at oplin.org<mailto:knuevejo at oplin.org>> wrote:
Adding on the what the chaps are saying about it really depends on what you want to use the system for and how much support you want or need for the system.

For instance here, we have decided that given what we want and the price we prefer to pay for it, we assemble our own systems. Essentially we are doing in-house what Bob describes having a specialized vendor do, using sites like Newegg Business, CDW-G, GobalGovEd, and even Amazon to buy the components.  The main reason we do this is we want systems that will be fast enough for many years, and importantly, where we can easily upgrade those components that are likely to not be enough in 3, 5 or 7 years time, we have the experience to do the work and we don't have an established relationship with an assembler.

The big thing in that regard is that we are not risking that one of the major assemblers (such as Dell, Gateway, Lenovo, etc) made a compromise that was not advertised or documented, such as deciding that the memory has to be some convoluted specialty ram, or that the system will never need more than 1 GB of ram or that the sata controller need only support some low throughput, even though some program we'll run 5 years from now on the machine might require a faster interface..  Where we make compromises about upgrade-ability we know that up front and actively choose the compromises, rather than learning about them 3-5 years after we bought the system when we want more ram, a faster hard drive or processor or some other capacity..

In addition to the above, the other thing I like about this model is that I think I get better components in my computers than I would buying a major name brand system.

It's basically the same approach that Bob is taking, just doing a lot of the work ourselves.

If I had to give a specific recommendation on who to buy assembled systems from, it would be to find out who Bob is working with and at worst, comparison pricing them versus, CDW, GlobalGovEd or even Newegg or Newegg Business, depending on whether  each can offer the level of support you want.

Have a good day.

Joe

Joseph Knueven
Director
Germantown Public Library
51 N. Plum St.
Germantown, OH 45327
937-696-9998x10<tel:937-696-9998x10>
knuevejo at oplin.org<mailto:knuevejo at oplin.org>

On 12/18/2012 1:27 PM, Steve Owley wrote:
I would like to echo this.  It is possible to arrange customized purchases from CDWG, and they will offer good advice too, but I would not do first one without the second.

Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: oplintech-bounces at lists.oplin.org<mailto:oplintech-bounces at lists.oplin.org> [mailto:oplintech-bounces at lists.oplin.org<mailto:oplintech-bounces at lists.oplin.org>] On Behalf Of Bob Neeper
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2012 1:14 PM
Cc: Phillip Jackson; oplintech at lists.oplin.org<mailto:oplintech at lists.oplin.org>
Subject: Re: [OPLINTECH] Hardware purchases

Adding a few things to Kevin's comments.

CDW or others provide fine equipment but then you must decide among the many options available.
Software provided is fixed and sometimes not what is exactly needed, or wanted.
Customization may be limited or at least a special order.

We have a long term relationship with a vendor specializing in libraries and some schools.

When we ask for a quote, the research for a product is done for us.
We know we'll get the optimum machine for a specific purpose at a reasonable cost.
E.G. For desktops
  Mother board, CPU, ram and other components are selected for optimization and MTBF.
  Patron PC's may have small SSD drive's for speed instead of a large capacity normal drive.
  Patron and certain staff PC's may not have DVD R/W but a USB drive provided to share as needed.
  The PC's are assembled and burnt in prior to delivery.
  Software is installed according to required PC function

For laptops generally just the research is done with 1 or 2 presented for purchase.

Technical support and services are provided as required.
Our vendor 'knows' the systems and people capabilities so any support is speedy.
No 'do this, then call back' and hope you get the same person, etc.
No having to escalate calls up the tech support ladder, etc.

We do purchase certain equipment from CDW, buy,com and others.

However, we really like the many advantages of our regular vendor.
This vendor even recommends another, if there would be significant savings for us.

This has been our way, but may not work for you.

Bob

R. W. (Bob) Neeper
Community Library <http://sunbury.cool-cat.org>
44 Burrer Dr.  Map <http://maps.google.com/maps?q=40.243961,+-82.863007>
Sunbury, Oh 43074
Tel:  (740)-965-3901<tel:%28740%29-965-3901>

cool-cat.org<http://cool-cat.org> <http://info.cool-cat.org> On 12/18/2012 10:38 AM, Kevin Puffer wrote:

        Phillip, I think that's kind of like asking, "who makes the best pizza". The most useful answer for your unique organization is going to depend on several factors.

        Are you asking specifically about hardware manufacturers or vendors or both? Both are in business to make money but some are more sympathetic with library's funding limitations and their role as public servants. Most often the one who offers only the lowest cost is not the one who is most advantageous for your organization in the long run. i.e. Some IT folks like to buy the best hardware they can afford expecting to recover the additional purchasing costs in support and service savings over the long term. Others wager on low cost machines and anticipate more labor and services costs down the road. The same model applies to vendors, the vendors with the lowest overhead can charge a little less but may not be able to provide the product as efficiently as a larger vendor, neither will they be as easy to work with after the sale should (or should I say "when") problems arise. That brings up another factor; how capable is your in-house team with support issues. Do you require a
ft
    er-sale support of the manufacturer or the vendor and if so, how much? Warranties may cover anything from just the cost of failed hardware, to total on-site technical support, and the warranties you choose should be tailored to your specific needs.

        The long answer is, you are going to have to develop a purchasing strategy of your own that best fits your organization. The main question is "How much risk am I (and my team) willing to assume?"

        If the OPLIN Tech world knew a little more about your organization and your capabilities, I'm sure better advice could be offered.

        Sorry, I know this is not the answer you were looking for.

        KP

        On Tue, Dec 18, 2012 at 10:21 AM, Phillip Jackson <pjackson at pauldingcountylibrary.org<mailto:pjackson at pauldingcountylibrary.org>> wrote:

                Who is the best company to purchase new desktops and laptops for our library's.

                Thanks

                Phillip Jackson

                Pjackson at PauldingCountyLibrary.org<mailto:Pjackson at PauldingCountyLibrary.org>

                419-399-2032<tel:419-399-2032>

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          Kevin Puffer
        Systems Administrator
         <http://wcdpl.org/sites/default/files/foliage_logo.jpg>
        Wood County District Public Library
        251 N. Main St. Bowling Green, OH 43402
        (419) 352-5104<tel:%28419%29%20352-5104>   -  kpuffer at wcdpl.org<mailto:kpuffer at wcdpl.org>

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  Kevin Puffer
Systems Administrator
[http://wcdpl.org/sites/default/files/foliage_logo.jpg]
Wood County District Public Library
251 N. Main St. Bowling Green, OH 43402
(419) 352-5104   -  kpuffer at wcdpl.org<mailto:kpuffer at wcdpl.org>

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