Typical workplace setups use a dual monitor configuration for maximum productivity. For laptop and tablet users, the user might also use their device’s screen at the same time.​  We typically recommend the following minimum specification for monitors in a Dual Display setup:

For dual display monitors, we typically supply two Full HD 1920x1080 resolution monitors. This is supported by most modern laptops and docking stations while matching the internal display of a modern business laptop to reduce potential scaling issues in Windows 10.  The optimum size for this display in a dual screen setup is 24 inches.
Higher resolutions up to QHD 2560x1440 for larger monitors can be supported by new laptops but may require testing. Docking stations should be checked for compatibility with monitors above Full HD resolution.
4K monitors will require performance laptops and docking stations.  Monitors larger than 32 inches may cause neck or back strain in a dual-display setup.

Common wisdom for running Excel is that just about any PC will do.  For investment firms, researchers and data analysts, however, things change.  They use tools like Excel differently from other users.

These users are highly intelligent, able to visualise complex problems, and capable of creating methods to extract information from big data sets using tools like Excel and Tableau.  The more they can do with more data, the more they can achieve.

If your team’s laptops are maxing out on CPU utilisation, fan speed and memory, or experiencing reliability problems relating to high thermal loads, a switch to mobile workstations can pay dividends.   

CPU performance for mobile workstation class Intel Core i9 versus mainstream Intel Core i5

Intel Core i9-9880H versus Intel Core i5-8265u benchmarks November 2019
Note: Optimised thermal design required for sustained performance outside test conditions.

​What’s the difference between Lenovo’s flagship corporate laptop and their leading mobile workstation?
​​Both are designed to be thin and light while providing high levels of performance and excellent display quality, but each is designed for very different types of user.

Carbon Fibre and Magnesium Alloy casing
Optional Touch Screen
Dolby Atmos speakers
2 USB 3 ports, 2 USB-C Thunderbolt 3, LAN connector and headphone jack

Both are robustly designed with backlit keyboards, webcams with privacy shutters and a similar look-and-feel.

​The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 has been proven as a strong performer across enterprise fleets – higher performance users opting for Intel Core i7 with 16GB of memory will find ample performance and long-haul flight battery-life.  The device is particularly slim and light and offers a premium look and feel that far exceeds cheaper fleet and retail devices.  This is well-suited for deployment across a typical corporate or government workforce where durability and dependability is important.
​
The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 2, is similar looking on the outside but quite different under the skin.  While remarkably thin and light (and pretty) for a mobile workstation, its heavy-weight performance does mean the device is heavier and uses more power than the X1 (while running faster).  Despite the powerful components, typical corporate users won’t see an appreciable difference in performance for applications like Word or Outlook.  However, users of complex and massive Excel worksheets, Tableau, crypto and workstation-class engineering, editing, design and animation suites will notice a substantial boost.  

The ThinkPad P1 Gen 2 has a near-twin in the ThinkPad X1 Extreme.
With NVIDIA GeForce graphics, the X1 Extreme is optimised for high frame rates and superior gaming performance. 
The NVIDIA Quadro graphics found in the P1 are optimised for stability, sustained thermal load and fidelity.  Like-for-like, we would opt for the P1 for users who need workhorse-like stability for productivity, especially for staff on billable time. 
The X1 Extreme is extremely attractive for corporate users who need quality gaming time when overseas.  We would give the entry level Intel Core i5 a miss in favour of an i7 six core or greater setup to make the most of the device.

Waste is nothing new, and neither is recycling. What has changed drastically in recent years is the massive amounts of electronic waste or e-waste we’re creating.

Because most of us only buy a new electronic device every 1-2 years, we don’t tend to worry about what happens to our old devices. We dutifully recycle plastic and glass on a daily basis, but we pay less attention to what should or could happen to our electronic devices when we’re finished with them.

When we consider the number of new devices our business rolls out every year, it’s no surprise that we produce upwards of 50 million tonnes of e-waste every year globally. Much of this e-waste is dumped illegally, and e-waste landfills are considered some of the most toxic places on Earth.

Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be this way, as our electronic devices can still be circulated back into use in one form or another. When we design devices correctly and pay more attention to the materials contained in each device, we can maximise the useful lifetime of everything we create.

This is the essence of what’s now known as the circular economy, and it’s a system that could offer your business new avenues for being both more sustainable and cost effective.

Closing the loop

The concept of a circular economy has been explored for decades by various academic groups and think tanks, but it reached broad appeal when the Ellen MacArthur Foundation partnered with McKinsey Research for their 2013 landmark report: Towards the Circular Economy: Economic and business rationale for an accelerated transition.

In the report, a new economic model is described which can decouple global economic development from finite resource consumption. By restoring and reusing products, components, and materials at their highest utility and value at all times, a circular economy:

• addresses mounting resource-related challenges for business and economies
• generates growth and creates jobs
• reduces environmental impacts, including carbon emissions.

Fast forward to the 2018 World Economic Forum, and HP joined the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE) and in 2019 extended their commitment to continue transitioning to a circular “make, use, reuse” approach that seeks to close the loop for their products. As a member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation global commitment to address plastic waste at its source, HP now innovates to ensure the plastics they use are reusable or recyclable, while circulating plastics away from the environment and back into the economy.

From ownership to outcomes

Dovetailing with the movement towards the circular economy has been the popularity of everything-as-a-service (XaaS) models for IT investment. Driven by the switch from on-premise infrastructure to the cloud, organisations are enthusiastically adopting new models of IT investment that are less about owning assets, and more about getting an outcome.

One area that is ripe for this transition is in device management. Organisations want to equip users with the right hardware and support to get the job done, while improving end user productivity, IT efficiency, and cost predictability.

This is where HP Device as a Service (DaaS) offers a complete solution that combines hardware, support, insightful analytics, proactive management services for every stage of an organisation’s device lifecycle. Not only does it reduce the costs and complexity of owning and managing devices – it also contributes to a more sustainable operating model for businesses.

As a partner of HP and Intel®, we have assisted many organisations to reduce their waste and emissions, because the HP devices we supply are designed to be repaired. The Laptop Company is helping save around 150kg of carbon (plus manufacturing waste) for each device we repair instead of replacing with new. 

We are proudly delivering HP’s DaaS to help NZ businesses maximise the value and useful life of the devices used across their workforce. We can tailor a HP DaaS solution that enables you to drive productivity, reduce costs and complexity, all while creating a more sustainable future.