ROUND ROCK, USA: Many businesses looking to grow while conserving capital are finding technology leasing and financing offer strategic, operational and financial benefits compared with outright ownership, according to IDC1. 

National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Economic Trends2 data shows more business owners expect borrowing will be more difficult in the coming months, suggesting alternative financing and leasing options are becoming more appealing. 

Why Lease? 

Davis & Wilkerson, P.C., an Austin-based law firm, leases its desktops, laptops and servers from Dell. One of its largest lease agreements was approximately two years ago for more than 50 Optiplex desktops that can be exchanged at the end of the lease for new, higher performing Optiplex systems to help stay on top of the latest technology advancements. 

Many businesses do not have the necessary capital to implement the right IT strategy to stay competitive, productive and grow. Plus once purchased, technology has to last a period of time to reap its full value. Technology can also become obsolete quickly, and purchasing it outright can hinder a company's ability to update its IT infrastructure in a cost-effective manner. 

IT leasing allows companies to conserve capital for non-technology needs, operate with the latest technology and purchase in one place for added convenience and savings. Specific benefits of leasing include: 
Stretching the IT Dollar – While the cost of technology is declining, IT solutions can cost thousands of dollars if purchased outright. With leasing, businesses can obtain more technology while preserving precious capital.

Flexible terms – The terms of the lease are usually flexible, offering fixed monthly payments across 24, 36 or 48 months, and various end-of-lease options. The lease payment may even be tax deductible. 
Options – At the end of a lease, there are a variety of ways to help companies make the best IT decisions: renew an existing lease, begin a new lease with upgraded technology, purchase the equipment according to the lease terms or return it.

Disciplined technology rotation – With leasing, companies become disciplined about replacing their technology every few years to avoid technology obsolescence. Plus, most IT leases include a service contract for the life of the lease, helping companies avoid owning equipment that isn't covered by a warranty. 

Expanded Financing Offers, Price Reductions 

Dell has announced new competitive leasing and financing options for U.S.-based small, medium and large businesses, and public entities. The company also made significant price moves on select systems and components to further help customers manage IT costs and save. Including: 

• Zero percent financing3 for qualified large business and institutional customers. With ownership lease terms from 12-48 months, customers can get the technology they need today and benefit from fixed regular payments with rates as low as zero percent. For additional information, customers can visit DFS or contact their Dell sales representative. 
• Fair Market Value (FMV) lease rotation programs allow customers to pay for use of their technology and return or exchange it at the end of the lease term to take advantage of the latest technological advancements, lowering total cost of ownership by as much as 20.5 percent.1
• Small and medium businesses can use FMV leasing for low monthly payments, flexible end-of-term options and an easy way to help ensure their employees are equipped with the latest technology for maximum productivity. 
• Large businesses and public institutions can benefit from exceptionally low payments on three-year FMV lease terms which in some cases may qualify for off-balance sheet accounting treatment4. 
  Deferred payment plans5 can be added to these offers for qualified customers interested in implementing the smartest technology replacement strategy today, but paying in 2009. 

To help IT budgets stretch even further, Dell has reduced select business system and component list prices. For U.S. customers, examples include:

• Price reductions up to $500, or 17 percent, on a Latitude E6400 laptop that includes a 9 cell primary battery, additional 9 cell battery, mobile broadband card from any carrier, Vista Ultimate, WXGA+ LCD, VPRO with Intel 5100 wireless card, 4GB6 2 DIMM memory7, and a 128GB8 mobility solid state drive. 
  Prices reduced up to $100, or 11 percent, on a Latitude E5400 that includes a 9 cell primary battery and 2GB 1 DIMM memory7.
• Base and memory price reductions have been made across the PowerEdge server portfolio including up to $300, or 20 percent, on the T605 AMD tower server featuring the AMD Opteron 2350 processor, 1GB 667Mhz (2x512) memory7, no operating system, 80GB HD8, DVD, and 3-year next-business-day onsite service9. 
• Prices have also been reduced by up to 40 percent on server memory. 
• Michael Dell outlined in his Oct. 17 Simplify & Save blog post it is crucial for businesses to focus on cost-cutting efforts while making IT investments work even harder. The initial focus of Simplify & Save is to take unnecessary expenditures out of customers' budgets by reducing costs associated with IT.