Why refurbished?

Schools have limited budgets and large needs. When every student needs access to a computer and exams are going digital, the money rarely stretches to new devices for everyone. But there's an alternative that many schools aren't aware of: quality-assured refurbished IT.

Companies like Inrego (Sweden's largest player in refurbished IT) receive computers from large corporations that upgrade after 3-4 years. These machines — Lenovo ThinkPad, HP EliteBook, Dell Latitude — are built for enterprise use and have long lifespans. They undergo thorough quality checks, data is erased according to certified standards, and they're sold with a warranty.

Quality that lasts

There's a difference between "used" and "junk." Enterprise laptops from premium product lines are designed to last. They feature:

Metal chassis that can take a beating — unlike consumer-grade plastic builds
Quality keyboards and displays — enterprise machines prioritize ergonomics
Upgradeable memory and storage — easy to swap SSD or add RAM
Military standard (MIL-STD-810) — many models are tested for shock, temperature, and humidity

A three-year-old ThinkPad T14 with an Intel Core i5, 16 GB RAM, and a 256 GB SSD handles everything a student needs: web browser, Office, Teams, Safe Exam Browser. At a fraction of the price of a new machine.

TCO comparison: new vs refurbished

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) over three years for a typical school computer:

	New budget laptop	Refurbished enterprise laptop
Purchase price	~6,000 - 8,000 SEK	~2,500 - 4,000 SEK
Build quality	Plastic, consumer-grade	Metal, enterprise-grade
Expected lifespan	3-4 years	2-3 more years (5-6 total)
Warranty	1-2 years	1 year (Inrego)
Environmental impact	New production	Reused, ~80% lower CO2

For a school with 200 students, that means savings of 700,000 - 800,000 SEK on a full device rollout — money that can instead go toward pedagogical development, learning materials, or better network infrastructure.

The environmental benefit is real

Manufacturing a new laptop generates approximately 300-400 kg of CO2. By extending the lifespan of an existing machine by 2-3 years, you avoid that environmental impact entirely. For a school with 200 machines, that's approximately 60-80 tons of CO2 saved.

It's also a tangible sustainability initiative that fits perfectly into the school's environmental work and teaching about the circular economy.

Ready from day one: direct enrollment

The biggest challenge with new devices isn't the purchase — it's the setup. Every computer needs to be configured with the right apps, policies, security settings, and user accounts. Manually, this takes 30-60 minutes per device.

With Windows Autopilot and Microsoft Intune, we can register each device's hardware ID before it even leaves the warehouse. When a student turns on the computer for the first time, it automatically enrolls in the school's Intune environment, downloads apps, policies, and settings — all without anyone manually touching the device.

For Apple devices, the same works via Apple School Manager (ASM) and Apple Business Manager (ABM). Devices purchased through authorized resellers can be registered in ASM before delivery.

Strandholm's service

We order, quality-check, and enroll devices directly in your Intune or ASM environment. When the boxes arrive at the school, the computers are ready to use — just power on and sign in.

When refurbished is the right choice — and when it's not

Refurbished IT is excellent for computers used for everyday schoolwork: web browsing, Office, Teams, and digital exams. It is not the right choice for specialized needs like video editing, CAD, or graphic design — those require newer GPUs and more performance.

For 90% of a school's device needs, quality-assured refurbished IT is the smartest choice. Combined with professional enrollment and device management, you get a solution that is both cost-effective and operationally reliable.

Refurbished IT for Schools — Smarter, Cheaper, and Greener