HP Elite Business PCs for Small Businesses

Small businesses need to carefully consider IT purchases. Buying a consumer-class product might work fine in the short term, but when you need something that will stand up to several years of daily use, a business class product is a must have.

The HP Elite line of PCs was created with the needs of businesses of every size in mind. They are ruggedly constructed, made with latest-generation components, and have a number of accessories that make them a perfect fit for virtually any office environment.

I recently had the opportunity to get a hands-on look at some of the business class products HP has to offer at an HP BBQ event hosted during Dell World in Austin. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of these options, and how they can be put to work in a small business environment.

EliteDesk 800 G1 Desktop Mini

Sometimes, big things come in small packages. The EliteDesk 800 G1 Desktop Mini is a perfect example of this concept in action.

Not only is it packed with enterprise-class components, but it is small enough (6.9 x 1.3 x 7.0 in) to mount to the back of a monitor with integrated VESA mounting so you won’t even see it while you’re using it.

The EliteDesk 800 G1 can be configured with an Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 processor, and comes standard with 4GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 SDRAM.

It ships standard with a 500GB SATA hard drive and can be configured up to a 1 TB solid-state hybrid drive. There are also up to 256 GB Opal self-encrypting solid-state drives available, as an option.

With less than 8W of energy consumed at idle, it is among the most energy efficient PCs in its class. These energy savings can make a big difference on a company’s operating overhead.

HP EliteBook Folio 1040

At first glance, the EliteBook Folio looks like a MacBook Air. It has a sleek aluminum shell that feels extremely durable.

On the surface, it would appear that this Ultrabook is targeted at a high-level consumer or prosumer market, but after taking a look, it’s clear that this is exactly what small and mid-size businesses, as well as enterprises are looking for in a portable solution.

Upon picking the EliteBook Folio, its weight of roughly 3.3 lbs. was surprisingly well balanced. Inside of a backpack or messenger bag, its weight would probably go unnoticed.

The 14-inch screen is bright and available in 1600 x 900 and full 1080p with optional touchscreen. Graphics are handled by either Intel HD 4400 or 5000, depending on the processor.

Wireless features of the EliteBook Folio 1040 are quite impressive. With 802.11 a/b/g/n WLAN standard and multiple options for WWAN (mobile broadband) you are sure to have no problem setting up a mobile office wherever you may be.

One area where the 1040 comes up short is connection ports, which is a common complaint about many Ultrabook class notebooks. It comes with two USB 3.0 ports (one with charging), a microSD slot, DisplayPort 1.2, a side docking connector, and a headphone/microphone combination port.

A fingerprint scanner located on the right side of the wrist wrest gives you a biometric security option.

According to the specs, the battery should last through 8-12 hours of work.

Starting at around $1,300 USD, this is solution provides exceptional bang for the buck.

ElitePad 1000 G2 Tablet

Full Windows 8.1 tablets are an excellent choice with a variety of small business types. HP’s ElitePad tablets aren’t one-trick ponies by any definition. They can pull triple duty as a POS device, business tablet, and portable workstation.

This second generation ElitePad has a brilliant 10.1-inch WUXGA (1900 x 1200) display, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

It maintains the same slim profile as the first generation, making it compatible with all of the existing accessories.

4GB of RAM and an Intel Atom Processor are powerful enough to get you through the day’s tasks. You won’t be doing much video editing or heavy photo processing on it, but Excel, Outlook, and the standard suite of business applications should run with little issue.

The ElitePad’s real strength is in its supporting devices. It can easily be used to power a point of sale (POS) system, act as an ultra-portable laptop, and more.

HP has a number of solutions designed with small businesses in mind, that still offer the build quality and security features enterprises demand. If you’re looking for something that is a step up from the consumer products so many small businesses turn to, these are certainly options worth considering.