What extras do you need after the computer and software?

You’ve sorted out the hardware, the best device and software but have you thought about any additional computer equipment that you might need for your business a.k.a. the computer peripherals?

The first thing is to agree on what is a ‘computer peripheral’.

The definition that appears when you google it, is:

A peripheral device, or simply peripheral, is an auxiliary hardware device used to transfer information into and out of a computer.

In other words, it’s anything extra that you can connect to your computer.

This is not going to cover everything — there are way too many for that, but hopefully gives you something to think about.

Important:

You don’t need to purchase, well, any of this. It comes down to what you want or need to improve your business.

The other point to make is that you don’t have to buy everything now. If you’re just starting out with your business, stick to the most important things. You can always buy more or even upgrade in the future.

External Mouse and Keyboard

This may seem a bit obvious, but bear with me.

If you are purchasing a desktop — then just check that these are included. Sometimes you’re just buying the tower. You’ll need the monitor, keyboard and mouse as well.

Printer

Do you really need a printer? The answer is probably not.

How often are you sending things rather than emailing?

Do you need ‘hard copies’ of information? Have you got space to store it?

OK, if you’re someone who prefers to read a printed page, rather than on screen. Maybe the answer is yes.

Remember that there are two aspects to buying a printer:

• One-off cost
• On-going costs

The actual printer is going to be a one-off cost.

You buy it — and that’s it.

However, you’ve got on-going costs to consider:

• Ink — depending on how much you print this cost will vary. From purchasing the ink cartridges, through to subscription options, like HP Instant Ink.
• Paper — you’ve got to print onto something. There is an almost endless list of paper types, thicknesses, and quality. What about pre-printed templates?
• Maintenance — these things aren’t built to last. Sure, you might be lucky and it runs smoothly for years, but you need to take into account that it might go wrong. Based on the price of printers today, you might find it’s easier and cheaper to replace it, rather than get it fixed.

Headset (Speaker and Mic)

Personally I think that these are a good idea no matter what. However, you might not agree with me.

With so much of our business being online, whether you want it or not, being able to effectively communicate is important.

If you have a proper ‘home office’ — space dedicated to working, preferably with a door that closes, then the built-in microphone and speakers on your device might be good enough.

On the other hand, if you are working somewhere that is busy or loud. Where you get interrupted for a number of reasons, then a headset can be a great option.

I’m not going to go into all of the options, but anything that lets you hear and speak in a clear way works.

This can be a wired option — plugging in and connecting you to the device. Or wireless connected via bluetooth with the option to roam around. It’s up to you.

If you need to go this route, I’d recommend a good pair — say c£30, not a cheap pair. After all this is communication for your business that we are talking about.

Webcam/Camera

If you’ve bought a laptop, or a tablet, or you are using your phone — then they’ve got a camera built-in.

For those of you who have gone down the full desktop route, it likely didn’t include a webcam, but some of the modern monitors do have them built-in.

In all of these cases, you might not need an external webcam or camera.

However…

Think about what you are doing.

If it’s mostly online meetings — Zoom, MS Teams or one of the other platforms, the built-in option is probably good enough.

Are you going to be recording videos?

Will the camera be good enough?

OK, the modern options really are good enough. But this might be something that you want to think about in the future for your video channel.

External Microphone

In the same way as an external webcam, you might want to consider something that is a better quality, perhaps even a separate microphone.

I’ve seen a lot of people who are series podcast hosts, using an external microphone.

These don’t need to be the super expensive, professional options. But they can have a lot of advantages over a headset and a tonne of advantages over the built-in microphone on most devices.

Next Steps

An extra note here: If you’re getting a number of devices, especially if there are wired, take a look at your device.

Do you have enough connection ports (USB slots) to have them all plugged in at the same time?

If you don’t, and I’ll looking at you laptops, then you might need a hub or connection extender to give you the space that you need,

Even if you choose to go wireless, have you got the plugs and cables sorted out?

Take a min and consider what you need now.

The answer can easily be nothing, or a simple headset.

Take some time to consider where your business finances are now. You’ve already bought a computer and all that software. And that was a chunk of change, with some of it being recurring costs.

You’re welcome to make a wish list for the future, but please make sensible choices now. You’ll thank yourself later.

Previously posted on MichelleKTraining.co.uk as Do you want computer peripherals with that?