In recent years I have often recommended projects to
acquire laptops instead of desktop computers.
This recommendation is even stronger today. I explain the reasons for this approach in this week’s
post below.
In the past, most courts standardized on desktop computers for their staff and even many judges. These machines were most often less expensive, were more reliable, and had the advantage of being hard to move as they were heavy to lift. This is no longer true as many desktops have changed form factors to "all-in-one" and smaller cases contain laptop parts. So, let’s go through the reasons?
- Cost - This is the first question in any court IT project. With the advent of Chromebooks and the manufacturing ramp-up for educational uses, laptop costs have been going down in recent years.
- Portability - The past eight months have shown
the benefits of having a laptop to work from home. And according to many experts, the work from
home trend will continue. For example,
web-conference can be used by judges to examine and swear law enforcement
officers to serve warrants. No need for
the officers to spend time traveling to the judge’s house. This process, of course, needs electronic signatures for
the documents but that has only been available both legally and technically for
twenty years. Right on schedule for
court adoption.
- Securing the Laptop at Night - Many courts do not have a physically
secure premise in non-work hours. Judge’s and
administrators will likely take their machines home with them. But staff, who may have more difficult
commutes, may wish that their laptops be locked away in a safe or secure room. The computers can also have their batteries recharged while
locked away. This is needed for very old courthouses with inadequate electrical
power availability.
- The Bailiff's Laptop - If a laptop has a touch screen or is a tablet
based, (a popular option at the NCSC) it can be given to the court bailiff or
security officer to check-in parties, check court schedule, and send messages to
other staff in the courthouse. Again, it
can be locked away at the end of the day.
- Less electrical power use - Laptops simply use less A/C electrical
power than desktop/monitor computers. The
machine I am using to write this article has a 65-watt power brick attached to
it. Other laptops use less, 45-watts. Again, this is good for older court
facilities that may not be renovated in recent years (decades).
- Battery Replacement is a Concern - More and more machines are being built that cannot easily be updated. My
machine again comes with a removable back held by screws that lets me open it
up and replace the battery after it wears out.
Make sure the laptops you buy can have the battery replaced.
- Built-in UPS - UPS stands for an uninterruptable power supply or in this example, the laptop battery. Thus there is no need to buy a separate unit to protect your computer. However, one should buy a surge protector for the machine whether it is recharged at night or plugged into the electrical power during working hours. And a good thing about laptops is that they may not be plugged in during thunderstorms at night.
- Cleaning - Laptops are easier to maintain because they are not put under a desk where they can easily collect dust and dirt. Instead, they are on the desktop in people’s hands. But… please give the staff cleaning supplies. Here is a link to such a kit from Amazon for $10 USD as an example: https://amzn.to/2TYkrje And please, send a reminder to clean the machine once a month to each user.
- Standardization - Having one or two standard laptop models is a great benefit to the IT staff. It is simpler to license and install the software and secure the machine. It is also possibly less expensive to contract for maintenance as the repair shop does not need to stock as many parts. And staff can support one another as they know how the machines work.
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