How much an IT workstation really costs
When you ask a company how much an IT workstation costs, the answer is almost always the price of the laptop. That is less than half the bill.
What goes into the bill
We added up everything a company spends, over three years, to keep one person working with IT equipment. Not only what is invoiced, but also internal time, which is the easiest cost to ignore and one of the largest.
| Component | Note | 3 years |
|---|---|---|
| Laptop | Business range, 14", i5/16 GB | €900 |
| Dock and monitor | USB-C dock and 24" monitor | €250 |
| Peripherals | Keyboard, mouse, headset | €120 |
| Initial preparation | Image, MDM enrolment, delivery, 2 h | €70 |
| Extended warranty | On-site, next business day, 3 years | €160 |
| Support over its lifetime | ~4 h/year of helpdesk | €420 |
| Time lost by the user | ~6 h/year of downtime, at €20/h | €360 |
| Disposal and recycling | Collection and recycling at end of life | €35 |
| Total | €2,315 | |
| Per month | 36 months | €64 |
Average estimates for a Portuguese SME, excluding VAT. Internal time calculated at fully loaded hourly cost. Software licensing and connectivity are not included.
- Laptop €900
- Dock and monitor €250
- Peripherals €120
- Preparation €70
- Extended warranty €160
- Support (3 years) €420
- Downtime €360
- Disposal and recycling €35
The laptop is 39% of the cost
This is the number that usually surprises people. The machine, the only thing that normally goes into the purchase decision, accounts for less than two fifths of what the workstation really costs. The other three fifths are spread across services, time and wear and tear that nobody budgets for.
Two practical consequences. The first: saving €150 on the machine by choosing a consumer range is a false economy, because the difference comes back multiplied in breakdowns, a worse warranty and downtime. The second: comparing quotes on the price of the equipment alone is comparing 39% of the problem.
Where the money is actually lost
In the two lines nobody measures: support and downtime. Together they add up to €780 per workstation over three years, more than the difference between an average laptop and a good one, and much more than the extended warranty so many companies go without to save €160.
The conclusion is counter-intuitive: buying better equipment and taking out a better warranty usually lowers the total cost of the workstation, even though it raises the initial investment. It is the kind of decision that buying outright makes harder, because the capital budget is visible and the cost of support is not.
What this has to do with renting
Everything, and not for the usual reason. A workstation contract forces the company to see all of these lines, because they all have to be inside the rent. There is now a single number per workstation per month that includes what used to be hidden across five different cost centres.
Calling it a financial advantage would be an exaggeration; most of these costs exist anyway. It is an advantage of visibility, and visibility is what makes sound decisions possible.