How to find the best laptops for enterprise software workloads

Evaluate software requirements

Modern applications place very different demands on hardware than previous generations of software. With many workloads now spanning endpoints and cloud services, AI-enabled tools increasingly rely on both local processing and remote resources.

The following essential software requirements shape laptop selection:

Minimum performance requirements

Some enterprise applications impose minimum requirements that must be met to function effectively:

• Engineering and analytics tools require powerful CPU or GPU capabilities and sufficient memory.
• Virtualization tools are resource-intensive.
• On-device AI workloads require a neural processing unit or GPU capabilities.

Security tools and agents

These tools often run in the background and consume resources without an obvious impact to users. They include endpoint detection and response utilities, zero-trust agents, disk encryption and other applications add to the system workload.

Cloud platforms and collaboration tools

These tools are more prevalent than ever:

• SaaS and collaboration platforms stress CPU, memory and network components.
• Zoom, Teams, Webex and other platforms are critical to many users.
• Browser-based applications consume memory and network resources. Multiple open tabs can significantly affect performance and degrade audio and video quality.
• Cloud-based office suites consume resources.

In-house or custom applications

These unique, nonstandard programs can present additional challenges:

• Apps developed in-house might not be optimized for specific hardware.
• Defining minimum hardware recommendations for custom applications is challenging.

Key considerations for laptop procurement

Modern applications have evolved extensively in recent years. The growth of SaaS offerings, collaboration tools, browser-based applications, automation agents and endpoint security agents has significantly increased the demand placed on enterprise hardware. Furthermore, we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to local AI platforms.

Use the following key considerations to guide your laptop selection and deployment:

Operational considerations:

• Organizational requirements.
• Deployment tools.
• Remote access.

Technical requirements:

• SaaS ecosystem performance.
• Collaboration tools.
• Enterprise applications.
• Virtualization.
• AI workloads.

Infrastructure considerations:

• Hardware lifecycle.
• Security and compliance requirements.

Additional considerations

Consider your enterprise's platform strategy. Many organizations standardize on specific systems to simplify support, updates and troubleshooting. These choices are tied to driver availability for specialized hardware, automated update mechanisms and compatibility with MDM and unified endpoint management tools. Some mission-critical applications are only certified to run on specific processors or platforms, so any related hardware choices must meet these requirements.

Many IT hardware refresh policies specify a three- to five-year lifecycle for laptops. This schedule typically aligns with warranty coverage and related software support windows. Replacing laptops around the four-year mark balances cost, reliability and support. Expect hardware innovations around security, processor and network performance to help drive this lifecycle.

Finally, many organizations use only specific OSes on end-user systems. Clearly, Windows is the most prevalent, but Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Rocky Linux and Chrome OS remain relevant, especially for developers and engineers. Apple's macOS also retains a share of the market, serving as the platform of choice for many power users.

Recognizing enterprise-ready laptops

Four specific traits define enterprise-ready laptops: security, reliability, manageability and long-term stability. Businesses are less interested in, or might actively avoid, popular consumer-oriented features.

Enterprise-ready features include the following:

• Hardware security, such as Trusted Platform Module, secure boot and biometric logins.
• Durable chassis designs.
• Support for encrypted storage.
• Stable product lines with multi-year availability.
• Reliable firmware and driver release schedule.
• Support for graphics-intensive applications.
• Remote management and troubleshooting capabilities.
• Global support networks and replaceable components with enterprise-grade warranties and service plans.

Large organizations can benefit from standardizing on a few specific models to reduce management workload, streamline driver updates and simplify troubleshooting. Working with a single vendor to procure a few specific models also ensures replacement component availability and a more predictable upgrade cycle. However, this standardization also reduces the organization's flexibility when selecting specialized hardware for specific job roles, such as developers, AI engineers or graphic designers. Consider a plan to address these unique requirements.

Laptop categories for enterprise roles

Laptops fall into the following general categories. Matching laptop capabilities to job requirements helps organizations achieve the best return on investment.

Ultraportable laptops

These laptops offer reduced weight, long battery life and mobility. Typical users include executives, sales teams, field managers, marketing teams and other groups that travel often.

Performance laptops

These focus on high-end CPUs, GPUs, large quantities of RAM and strong thermal control. Typical users include software developers, engineers, data scientists, AI and machine learning specialists, product designers, administrators using virtualization and other power users.

Mainstream and standard laptops

These laptops offer a balance of cost and performance supporting general-purpose workloads. Typical users include general staff if they can justify the additional expense of a laptop, administrative personnel, operations staff, finance and accounting teams and legal teams.

Security and compliance-focused laptops

The laptops focus on locked-down firmware, enhanced encryption, and longer support cycles. Roles include government employees, healthcare workers, financial staff, legal professionals, cybersecurity and IT admin staff, executives and others with more stringent security requirements.

Not all employees need a laptop, and desktop systems are typically less expensive. Identify users who do not work off-premises or collaborate away from their desk. Consider procuring desktop systems for these users, as they are usually less expensive at similar performance levels. Desktop system specifications should also reflect their anticipated software workloads.

Wrap up

While factors like budget and existing hardware affect laptop deployments, the primary driver of hardware selection is software. The software determines the workload and resource utilization, and that workload then determines the necessary hardware to ensure user productivity.

Begin your software inventory and analysis today before starting a laptop procurement process. Careful shopping can help improve productivity, enhance reliability and provide greater user satisfaction.

Damon Garn owns Cogspinner Coaction and provides freelance IT writing and editing services. He has written multiple CompTIA study guides, including the Linux+, Cloud Essentials+ and Server+ guides, and contributes extensively to Informa TechTarget, The New Stack and CompTIA Blogs.