At Warwick Business School we provide and support computers provided by Dell, Microsoft (the Surface range) and Apple.

The latter two are likely uncontroversial as they are the only manufacturers of those devices. For Dell however these are, arguably, fairly generic computers. We likely could use Lenovo or HP so why did we choose Dell?

First our options are not unlimited. As part of a wider university, which is in turn accountable and responsible for its use of public and student money, we can only purchase computers from a small list of suppliers pre-approved by the central Purchasing team. At the time of writing (April 2018) this list limits the choices to Dell, HP, Viglen (desktops), Toshiba (laptops) and Lenovo.

From this list we continue to purchase Dell devices because:

• Our experience is that these provide quality and excellent service. Computers are generally bought with a 3-year next day, on-site guarantee.
• Our Helpdesk staff are qualified Dell service staff. This allows us to order replacement parts and to resolve some hardware issues without having to go through the Dell support system, resulting in quicker fixes for customers.
• We want a coherent fleet of computers as these makes them easier to manage, meaning we can resolve issues more quickly freeing us up to help more customers or to help customers in more depth.