Need some advice on a couple of item choices...

I am a project manager that would like to have some advice from outside my group. The good news there is an open budget. The dilema is for a client of 80 employess, seperate email server, seperate phone server, Security/Camera system and we need to choose either IBM Server, Switches, Workstations, Laptops or the same with Dell. The other one is which operating system is worthwhile. Personally Im going with the vista route mainly for the free upgrade to windows 7 as windows 7 is doing well mostly. But what would work for the Servers I think would be Server 2008 and Vista/Windows 7 for the Workstations, PC's and Laptops.

So what is everyones opinion and please also a reason why. Personally I think they can be both great machines but Dell has better offers and cost etc. Out of my group of six, 5 are for Dell and 1 is steadfast on IBM. Am I missing something of why he is so adamant about IBM? As for the OS obviously it will be windows but some want atraight XP and no Server 2008 nor 2003, another wants straight Vista another wants Straight Server 2003.

Let me know please. Thankyou.

I worked at a university with Dell and Gateway computers. Some machines worked well, others didn't. The brand on the computer didn't seem to matter on the ones we always had problems with. Some computers had failures over and over. We got rid of them, the replacements worked fine.

My experience with IBM personal computers is they were the most expensive ones built. This was 1993. I don't know what their prices are these days. They became popular, depsite their much high prices, due to many managers wanting to only write one check. They had IBM main frames, and bought IBM PCs from the same salesman.

I don't think the IBM personal computers are better than Dell and Gateway. Sounds like that one person is stuck due to IBM advertising.

No experience on server versions, so I wont comment.